Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action. Medicine in traditional China encompassed a range of sometimes competing health and healing practices, folk beliefs, literati theory and Confucian philosophy, herbal remedies, food, diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. In the early twentieth century, Chinese cultural and political modernizers worked to eliminate traditional practices as backward and unscientific. Traditional practitioners then selected elements of philosophy and practice and organized them into what they called "Chinese medicine" (Zhongyi). In the 1950s, the Chinese government sponsored the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, and in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, promoted Chinese medicine as inexpensive and popular. After the opening of relations between the United States and China after 1972, there was great interest in the West for what is now called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM is said to be based on such texts as Huangdi Neijing (The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), and Compendium of Materia Medica, a sixteenth-century encyclopedic work, and includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping therapy, gua sha, massage (tui na), bonesetter (die-da), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy. TCM is widely used in the Sinosphere. One of the basic tenets is that the body's qi is circulating through channels called meridians having branches connected to bodily organs and functions. There is no evidence that meridians or vital energy exist. Concepts of the body and of disease used in TCM reflect its ancient origins and its emphasis on dynamic processes over material structure, similar to the humoral theory of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The demand for traditional medicines in China has been a major generator of illegal wildlife smuggling, linked to the killing and smuggling of endangered animals.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (1)

Surface Plasmon Effect Dominated High-Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture

Xin Chen

Available, effectively converting low-frequency vibration into available electricity, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is always research hot nowadays. However, the enhancing effect of the existing

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE2022

Related concepts (134)

Related courses (19)

BIO-321: Morphology II

Ce cours permet aux étudiants ayant suivi Morphologie I de réviser et d'approfondir leurs connaissances par l'étude de l'anatomie radiologique et du développement. L'origine de malformations fréquente

BIO-487: Scientific project design in translational neurosciences

The goal of this course is to instruct the student how fundamental scientific knowledge, acquired through the study of fundamental disciplines, including biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, physiolo

CH-634: Chemical Probes for Imaging in Biology

The goal of this course is to provide an overview on recent developments in the design and synthesis of fluorescent and bioluminescent probes for applications in basic research and medicine. Through t

Related lectures (18)

BIO-321: Morphology II

BIO-487: Scientific project design in translational neurosciences

CH-634: Chemical Probes for Imaging in Biology

What are Digital Humanities?

Explores the concept of Digital Humanities, its evolution, impact on disciplinary boundaries, and global expansion.

Hydroacoustics for Hydroelectric Installations

Covers fundamental equations and wave reflections in hydroacoustics for hydroelectric installations.

Canonical Transformations: Existence and Equations

Explores canonical transformations, focusing on existence, equations, simplicity, and differential equations' theory.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientific knowledge, and it has been characterized as quackery. There is a range of acupuncture variants which originated in different philosophies, and techniques vary depending on the country in which it is performed.

Traditional Chinese medicine

Han dynasty

The Han dynasty (UKˈhæn, USˈhɑːn; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warring interregnum known as the ChuHan contention (206–202 BC), and it was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). The dynasty was briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD) established by usurping regent Wang Mang, and is thus separated into two periods—the Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD) and the Eastern Han (25–220 AD).