Chinese medicine is becoming more and more popular, and few people have not heard of treatment with acupuncture, leeches and traditional massages. We learned from the head physician of the Yellow Emperor clinic about how the appointment with the Chinese doctor goes, what can be cured with leeches, and how to determine that the doctor is trustworthy.
Our expert: Natalya Vladimirovna Bykova, Master of Medicine, lecturer at the Institute of Restorative Medicine and member of the Moscow Hirudotherapists Alliance, chief physician of the Chinese medicine clinic "Yellow Emperor".
- How is an appointment with a Chinese medicine doctor?
- How can you understand that a Chinese doctor is a really good specialist? And what moments, on the contrary, should alert the patient?
- Do I need to bring blood/ultrasound/X-ray results with me?
- What language will we speak with the Chinese doctor? What if we misunderstand each other?
- What diseases can a Chinese doctor cure and what can't?
- What treatments are used?
- If I'm afraid of injections, does reflexology not suit me either? Does it hurt?
- I am allergic to herbal preparations. Can I drink Chinese tea?
- Do I need to follow a diet during treatment?
The appointment will begin with an examination, and it will be significantly different from what you are used to. A Chinese doctor evaluates the state of he alth by pulse, pupils, pays attention to physique, posture, gait, skin, tongue, nails, hair. After that, the doctor will ask you about your lifestyle, the course of the disease, your emotional state, how you sleep, what you eat. During a conversation, the doctor evaluates the sound of the voice, the pace of speech, and breathing. Based on all these data, the doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment.
First, pay attention to how the doctor diagnoses. If he very quickly measures your pulse and immediately makes a diagnosis, this is an occasion to think about the qualifications of a doctor. The pulse should be measured not on one, but on both hands, and this takes several minutes. Then the doctor should definitely ask you about your lifestyle, habits, symptoms, complaints. Sometimes patients come to us for an appointment who want the doctor to “guess” the diagnosis without any words. Unfortunately this is not possible! Chinese medicine considers a disease not as a breakdown of one organ, but as a systemic disorder throughout the body.
Of course, a qualified doctor will ask you to bring all the results of the examinations that you underwent in connection with the disease. For example, if there is a disease of the spine, images will be needed, if the problem is related to the hormonal background, blood test results are needed.
There are several areas in which Chinese medicine copes most successfully. First, the problems that are associated with impaired immunity - you often get sick, get tired quickly, experience drowsiness.
Secondly, diseases of the musculoskeletal system - arthritis, arthrosis, various diseases of the spine (from osteochondrosis to damage to the intervertebral discs).
Third, various inflammatory processes. The easiest way to cope with acute inflammation, in this case, the pain syndrome can go away after a few sessions of acupuncture. If the process is chronic, the treatment time will be much longer.
In addition, Chinese doctors are often treated for hypertension, migraines, hormonal disorders. Perhaps the only case where Chinese medicine is unlikely to help you is oncological diseases.
This is traditional Chinese medicine. The doctor selects the number and frequency of procedures at the time of admission. The method of acupuncture (acupuncture) is based on the deepest understanding of the structure of the human body and a careful attitude towards it. Acupuncture treatment plays an important role in Chinese medicine, the effectiveness of this technique has not been disputed for a long time. The essence of the procedure lies in the impact on certain reflexogenic centers. An acupuncturist has a good idea of what this or that point is responsible for, so acupuncture allows you to achieve an improvement in the patient's well-being without the help of drugs.
Hirudotherapy. Treatment with leeches is one of the most ancient therapeutic methods. She is mentioned in the treatises of Hippocrates and Avicenna. In the recent past, modern medicine was skeptical about hirudotherapy. Currently, the effectiveness of this procedure is recognized officially. Modern research has confirmed the effectiveness of the technique, and in recent years it has experienced a rebirth.
Moxotherapy (heat puncture) is an ancient Tibetan technique that stood at the origins of the traditional Buddhist healing system. Moxa treatment involves the use of special wormwood cigars for contact and non-contact heating. Wormwood, which emits infrared rays with a wavelength of 1.0-5.5 microns during smoldering, acting on biologically active (acupuncture) points, can increase the local body temperature to 43-45 ° C without causing burns. At the same time, the combustion temperature of wormwood moxa can reach 825 °C.
Chinese massage. This is one of the most ancient techniques that has survived to our times. After a Chinese massage, performed according to all the rules, you are guaranteed excellent he alth, a surge of vitality and energy.
In fact, the presence or absence of pain is one of the signs of a doctor's professionalism. If the needles are placed correctly, you will only feel a slight pain when the needle is inserted. But during the session itself, which lasts from 30 to 60 minutes, you should not feel pain.
All decoctions are selected by the doctor individually, for a particular patient. Moreover, allergies are successfully treated just with the help of herbal decoctions. If you know what herbs you usually have a reaction to, tell your doctor about it at the time of admission, he will take this into account, and the treatment will go smoothly.
Unless your doctor has specifically given you dietary advice, you don't need to follow any diet. There are only three very important rules for all patients who come for a reflexology session.
1. You can not come in a state of intoxication.
2. You can not come on an empty stomach.
3. You can not come immediately after a heavy meal.