Diseases that can be helped with TCM

Dr. Martin Wang, MD (China), PhD.

R. Acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist

Edmonton, Canada

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is not simply a complementary therapy to the conventional medicine, but a complete and whole medical system, with its complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved independently from or parallel to allopathic (conventional) medicine. This concept has been realized and accepted by FDA in December 2006. (Eventually!)

In our clinic, a frequently asked question is what kind of disease/disorder the TCM system can help. It is found that many people misunderstand that the TCM system can mostly be used to release pain. Their experience might come from their misunderstanding on acupuncture. One should know that the acupuncture is only a part of the TCM. With the Chinese herbal therapy, much more disorders can be corrected or largely improved, since it is the most powerful therapy in the whole TCM system.

 Listed please find some examples of the disorders that might be treated well with the Traditional Chinese Medicine. Of course, the clinic results are largely variable among the disorders and among the practitioners. 

 TCM system does not need disease terms as listed here. It has its own diagnosis system. A “disorder” (e.g. a group of related symptoms that usually show up at the same time, or sooner or later after another, similar to concept of a syndrome) diagnosed in the TCM could cover more than 5 or 50 kinds of “diseases” termed by the conventional medicine. A “disorder” termed by the conventional medicine also may included more than 5 or 10 kinds of disorders termed by the TCM system. They are completely different medical systems.

 It should be pointed out that you do not need to check if the disease name you are concerning is listed here or not. The terms here are the ones that are used by the western medicine system but not the TCM system. Many such “diseases” could be the same disease according to the TCM diagnosis system, and for any of such “disease” listed here can be diagnosed into different disease in the TCM system.

 Also, there are so many clinic conditions that are hard to be diagnosed by the western medicine, so it is called ‘strange disease”, or it may be regarded as a psychological problem of the patient but in the TCM, it can give a clear diagnosis and to start treatment.  

 Another fact is that, the clinic level of a TCM doctor is largely variable. If one TCM doctor fails to help you, you still have a chance to find another one to help. Each doctor may have quite different style in the clinic work for diagnosis and treatment. Good luck to find one that match your need!

 All in all, try the alternative, no harm treatment first, before your try something that may change your body structure permanently.