Basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine

TCM or Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a well defined healthcare profession with its practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine guided by a coherent and an evolving body of knowledge underpinned by its unique philosophy, holism and ongoing scientific endeavor. The development of TCM in countries other than China has been started over one and a half century. For example in Australia, the most rapidly period of development was over the last three decades, and the culmination of the introduction of the national statutory regulation of Chinese Medicine in the Australia from July 2012. Under the principle of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), all therapies, Traditional or Orthodox, will need to be evaluated by employing the same method to determine if there are any therapeutic benefits to patients.

Basic knowledge of Chinese medicine includes the philosophy, medical theories, the diagnostic system, therapeutic studies including acupuncture or medicinal substances, and clinical studies. Chinese medical theory includes traditional physiological concepts, the maintenance of health, the processes in the development of disease, and approaches to therapy. Body and mind are viewed as part of a broader ecological system which includes both environmental and socio-emotional factors. The diagnostic system in Chinese medicine involves the identification of the disease state and the underlying symptom pattern. This is often referred to as a dual diagnostic system. Precise diagnosis of both the disease and the symptom pattern type is essential for setting treatment priorities and determining the treatment. Therapeutic studies may include acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional herbal formulae, massage and manipulative therapies, exercise, dietary intervention, moxa and cupping therapies etc. Clinical studies in specialist areas include internal medicine, external medicine (including dermatology), obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, traumatology and orthopedics, eye, ear, nose and throat disorders, and others.

There has been ongoing debate within the profession about the appropriateness of using Chinese Medicine in several gynecological conditions. In general, the trend is towards the integrative use of both Western and Chinese Medicine. A significant number of diseases the treatment options have been influenced by Western medical investigations and diagnosis as well as the results of experimental and clinical studies employing modern research methods. In this article, we shall take several common gynecological conditions for discussion on the current evidence of using Chinese medicine in those areas.