Traditional Chinese Medicine: How to Maintain Your Health and Treat Illness

Gary Watson is a former lecturer in Chinese studies at Queen’s University and is now a multimedia developer in Mississauga.

What does a Google search of “traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)”
turn up? Nearly 3.7 million hits for a subject that is not only popular
but complicated by its breadth and often-patchy Western-language
explanations. Lu’s brief survey offers a clear 10-chapter discussion
of such topics as diseases and treatment, acupuncture, food and herbal
cures, syndromes, exercise, treatment of common diseases in Western
medicine, male complaints, pregnancy disorders, postnatal care and
disorders, and female complaints.

While it remains questionable whether traditional Chinese medicine
offers relief or cures for all medical conditions, its approach and
general emphasis on patient individuality, its focus on the whole body
and the need for careful taking of patient histories have had an impact
on Western medicine. Many Western-trained physicians are now more aware
of their patient’s general physical and psychological dispositions
than ever before—a change attributable in large part to TCM and other
alternative treatment strategies. The emphasis placed on exercise,
notably the qigong or tai chi disciplines, is especially efficacious for
anyone concerned with maintaining flexibility and balance. This alone
makes TCM a worthwhile alternative to high-impact exercise or
physiotherapy that targets only affected areas and not the whole body.

Clearly written and well organized, Lu’s discussion of TCM is an
excellent introduction and a useful reference guide to the basic
parameters of one of the world’s oldest medical disciplines.