Introduction

Chinese medicine is a coherent and independent system of thought and practice that has been developed over two thousand years. It has not only been making a great contribution to the flourishing and prosperity of the Chinese nation, but also represents an important chapter to the annuals of oriental civilization.

Throughout its history it has continually developed in response to modern clinical research. Because of its unique theories and clinical effectiveness, Chinese medicine has grown rapidly in popularity in the West. Nowadays, it still forms a major part of health care system in china, and is available in state hospitals alongside western medicine.

They are two basic components in Chinese medicine - Acupuncture (usually performed with needles) and Chinese herbal therapy. Chinese medicine is based on the theory of Yin and Yang balance. It considers that the disease is caused as a result of Yin and Yang imbalance within the body. Chinese herbal therapy is to re-balancing the Ying and Yang when the disease occurring. The aim of acupuncture is to regulate the meridians or channels of the body and unblock the stagnation of Qi (energy), to achieve the body energy balance.

Chinese medicine also considers that the channels are associated with the internal organs, which if out of balance is another important factor in the pathogenesis of disease. Chinese medicine is therefore to treat the whole body rather than just the symptoms. Because of this it may take some time to generate the benefits.