When a person is healthy the Qi, "vital energy of the body", moves smoothly through the channels, but if for some reason the flow is blocked, or too weak or too strong, then illness occurs. The aim of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is to correct the flow of Qi. TCM is a system of primary health care that includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, remedial massage (anmo tuina), exercise and breathing therapy (such as qigong), and diet and lifestyle advice.

Treating the Whole Person

Chinese medicine takes into account not only the disease symptoms but
also the age, habits, physical and emotional traits and all other aspects of the individual, and attempts to put together an overall picture of the patient in order to evaluate and patterns of disharmony that have arisen. Health is a state of total harmony between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual. Illness, on the other hand, is a disharmony that manifests itself in certain symptoms. The symptoms on their own are often unimportant; they are merely part of the sydrome of harmony or disharmony which makes up the whole person.

Causes of Disease

Many things can upset the balance of the body and disturb the flow of Qi.

- Emotional states, such as stress, worry, anger etc. can have a particular effect on the energy balance of the body.

- Diet, Malnutrition, overeating, too much salt or greasy food can cause illness.

- Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, wrongly prescribed medicines can overstimulate the body.

- Weather conditions such as cold, damp, wind, heat etc.

- Exercise and Rest too little or too much of either can harm the balance of energy

- Trauma such as accidents, falls, operations

- Hereditary factors

The Qi

Qi (pronounced 'chee') is unknown in Western medicin, but in simple terms is the vital energy of the body. It keeps the blood circulating, warms the body and fights disease. It is Qi that distinguishes living creatures from inanimate objects. Qi flows through certain channels forming a netwrok within the entire body and linking all parts and functions together so that they work as one unit. There are 12 main Qi channels, each connected to an internal organ and named after that organ, and they follow a set pathway in the body.