 Chinese Medicine |
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| Meridians |
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The principles of Chinese medicine are very different to Western medicine, although in China the two are practised side by side. Of great complexity, traditional Chinese medicine is concerned with the flow of 'chi', a vital force or energy which, among other things, controls the workings of the human body and mind. It is thus termed an 'energetics-based' medicine.
Imbalances in the flow of chi causes illness. Chi maybe over or underactive in a particular system. These imbalances can be corrected by a variety of means. The most commonly used being acupuncture (and adjunctive techniques such as acupressure and moxibustion), herbal medicine, diets and corrective or preventative exercises such as tai chi or qi kung.
Chi flows through the body through channels, known as the 12 'meridians' (these channels do not correspond to anatomical structures in the Western sense) which corresponds to the twelve organs, functions or systems - such as the liver, bladder or spleen.
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