TCM is the abbreviation for “Traditional Chinese Medicine” and it’s often used to describe the general practice of Chinese Medical modalities. If you search the internet for “TCM” you will find claims that it is a practice that is thousands of years old. However, this isn’t really the case. While it’s true that modalities such as acupuncture and herbs have been around for centuries, “TCM” specifically has only been around since the 1950s: At the height of his reign in communist China, Mao Zedong sought a way to integrate traditional Chinese health practices with those of the West by emphasizing a complete unification, of the two. But it’s only one several ways to practice acupuncture.
In the strict sense, TCM is an approach the the medicine that looks at diseases from an organ perspective, meaning different symptoms correspond to specific pathologies according to the 12 organs. But today’s modern practitioners practice the medicine in a combination of ways, not just TCM. Channel theory, Classical, The Balance Method—these are all different approaches to getting to the unified goal of a complete balance of the body’s physiological processes. At Autonomic Acupuncture, we have experience in each of these methods. When a patient first comes into the clinic, we evaluate their needs based on their symptoms and then choose a particular method to treat the issue. The end goal, regardless of which approach is used, is to give our patient’s relief from whatever is ailing them.