Traditional Chinese Medicine - TCM
What is TCM?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has been used for over 2000 years to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. The basic concept is the flow of QI. disease and illness.
What is QI?
Qi, also ki or ch’ , literally means “vapor”, “air”, or “breath” is a vital life energy,which is the driving force behind the movement of all of the body fluids, including our blood, lymph and digestive fluids, regulating proper physiology of our organs. If the flow is balanced, we have a healthy and happy body. The imbalance to the flow of Qi can cause malfunctioning of the organs, leading to illness.
Qi flows along the meridians with numerous acupuncture points. Stimulating these affects and redirects the flow of QI which stimulates body’s natural healing abilities.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Assessment
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner will perform an in -depth assessment to determine if there are any imbalances in the body and address all your health concerns.
Following a thorough history taking, we will ask you many questions such as your water intake, diet, sleep, stool, urine, digestion, emotional stress.in order to determine the baseline of your condition. Then, we proceed to performing a physical examination. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses standard examination used in medical offices, as well as some unique exams, such as::
Tongue assessment: The tongue reflects the state of the internal organs, Qi and Blood. We look at the color of the tongue, its body shape, as well as tongue coating.
If it is pale and slightly dry it indicates blood deficiency. If there is a crack all the way to the tip, it represents the Heart, pointing to heart emotional disorder. Teeth marks on your tongue are a sign of deficiency of your spleen and pancreas. Coating of the tongue represents the pathogenic factor; the thicker the coat the stronger the pathogen.
Pulse assessment: gives us an idea of the state of the QI, Blood as a whole and Yin and Yang organs. In conjunction with the tongue diagnosis and other signs and symptoms helps us diagnose the correct pattern. There are 6 pulses and 3 levels that practitioners are looking for.
The pulse is taken with three fingers. On the right we have the Heart, Liver and Kidney and on the left Lung, Stomach or Spleen . The third aspect represents the Kidneys as well.
Palpation to determine the areas of tension within your muscles and fascia.
Observation: looking at the body alignment, as well as looking at the face as our entire body is represented on our face. For example, the space between the eyebrows represents the lungs
Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment
Upon completion of an assessment, and sharing the findings with you, we will start your personalized treatment which may involve any of the following: acupuncture, tuina, cupping, qi gong, and or Chinese herbal medicine.
Acupuncture
Facial Massage
Cupping
Acupuncture
Accupunctureis insertion of the stainless steel needles into a specific point in the body. This creates biochemical changes that stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well being.That is why acupuncture can be used in a variety of conditions, ranging from pain to anxiety, sleep disorders, digestive issues, fertility issues, hormonal imbalances, PMS and scalp acupuncture for neurological issues like Bell’s palsy or post stroke.
Fascial or cosmetic acupuncture: Super fine needles are inserted below the dermis to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. It is great to slow down aging in a holistic way as it lifts the face, brightens the skin and improves its texture. Gentle facial cupping or Gua Sha, as well as facial and scalp massage: is commonly provided as well to complement cosmetic acupuncture treatment, which helps with circulation and slows down the formation of wrinkles.
Tuina or tui-na
Tuina (pronounced twee-nah), Chinese Medical Massage originated in ancient China. It is believed to be the oldest and the first form of manual (‘hands on’) treatment in the world, much older than massage and osteopathy.
Through massage and manipulation of your muscles and joints along meridians as well as stimulation of acupressure points it realigns the body and affects the flow of Qi energy, which is the body’s vital life force. Tuina causes removal of blockages or imbalances that lead to symptoms such as pain and illness, brings the body to balance and allows it to naturally heal itself. It is effective in reducing stress, encouraging relaxation, and deepening sleep, as well as regulating the physiology of our organs.
The main difference between Tuina and Swedish massage is that Tuina is done along meridians (channels), which promotes good flow of energy, circulation of blood, lymph and nutrients so it helps drainage just like manual lymphatic drainage along with promoting healing by bringing nutrients to tissue, also ki or ch’i,
Cupping
Cupping is a form of traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine. People have practiced cupping therapy for thousands of years.
Suction from cupping draws fluid into the treated area. This suction force expands and breaks open tiny blood vessels (capillaries) under the skin. Your body treats the cupping area like an injury. It sends more blood to the area to stimulate the natural healing process. It clears the pores and helps with the release of toxins.
It is especially good to release muscle and fascial tension and relieve chronic and stubborn pain.
Who will perform TMC at Healthier Living?
Daniela Mitic Anuseva is registered TCMP acupuncturist and herbalist, honors graduate at Ontario College of Traditional Chinese medicine in Toronto.
Daniela has integrated her experiences from her former career with her knowledge of Chinese Medicine practices of Acupuncture, Herbology, Tuina, Cupping, Guasha, Qi gong, Moxibustion. This integration enables Daniela to create an individual, comprehensive treatment plan for management of chronic and acute pain , anxiety, depression, digestive problems, insomnia, women’s health, pregnancy support and fertility issues.
The deep understanding of the indivisibility of mind and body and the passion for healing are at the core of Daniela’s compassionate and professional conduct ( etiquette).
Daniela would love to meet you and assist you on your healing journey!
