In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we think of an illness as a process of organ or system level dysfunction that often starts with poor perfusion of the affected tissues. In the language of TCM, this is known as stagnation and involves compromised flows of either Blood or Qi (Bio-energy) or both.
This dysfunction eventually leads to a set of recognizable signs and symptoms that are the characteristics of a particular illness or disease. As with an iceberg, the symptoms of an illness are considered to be the visible elements of a disease process that may have gone unnoticed for a long time.
Since illnesses often involve dysfunctions in multiple organ systems, TCM diagnoses involve differentiating between the system level patterns or interactions responsible for the illnesses or health concerns of our patients.
For this reason, we also differentiate between Relief Care, or relief from symptoms which usually happens within 5-10 treatments, and Corrective Care, or the resolution of the root cause of the symptoms. The latter approach usually involves a more extended treatment plan, especially for severe or chronic conditions that have lasted for a long time.
Healing usually requires the active participation of patients, especially for complex and chronic conditions. For this reason, those who make the effort to follow suggestions to improve lifestyle choices will realize the greatest benefits from my services.
Correcting the root cause of the disease or dysfunction is the best way to prevent an illness from returning.