Guide to Acupuncture, pt. 4

part: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Chinese and Western Medicine: A discussion of yin and yang

We've all seen the symbol for yin and yang. It's not just a left over from the seventies though, but a visual representation of opposites. The idea is that the symbol is always rotating clockwise so that light is changing into dark and dark into light. Each also contains a small piece of the other within them. It's the white seed that grows as the black half moves and changes into white.

The basic concepts of yin and yang are reflected in the natural world. We are affected by the four seasons, the day and night, by cold and hot. This medicine is all about balance of opposites, light and dark, moist and dry, activity and rest. Health is restored when the body is returned to its' natural state, or back into balance.

One interesting way to think about Chinese and Western medicine is to remember that they are each models of medicine. One evolved from performing autopsies, and the other from observing live people. Western medicine says "hmm this stomach has food in it, it must digest food." It is the right medicine when you need drastic measures. Chinese medicine says "you are hungry all the time, eat lots of spicy food and have heartburn. You have an imbalance in your stomach energy." It's the right medicine when you want optimal health rather that just lack of illness.

Chinese medicine is a system of observing and treating the body. Much like western medicine uses stethoscopes and lab tests, acupuncturist's use questions, pulse and tongue and observations of the entire body. The medicines work very well together. After all, a lab test is a different kind of measurement of the body. Both systems are incomplete and compliment each other. They're like yin and yang.

Find out more about acupuncture and oriental medicine in our
Guide to Acupuncture:

We also have an overview of our acupuncture services, and more about our individual practitioners: Derek Kirkham, Lindsey Lawson, and Karen Hayes.