Yoga, meditation, tai chi, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are increasingly accepted disciplines
It is increasingly common to see people doing activities such as yoga, meditation, tai chi and a series of mind-body therapies that fall under the holistic medicine branch.
Holistic medicine or alternative medicine is based on the natural healing powers of the organism, the interaction of tissues and the influence of the environment.
Acupuncture is one of the methods used under holistic medicine. This involves inserting disposable needles at specific crucial points, explained Ricardo Con Chan, an acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine at The Chinese Medicine Center in Huntington Park.
"In Chinese medicine we don't talk about nerves, but I like to explain that it is based on the nervous system," explained the Costa Rican acupuncturist with Chinese roots. "We talk about the energy of life that is called Qi (or Ch’i)."
With Chan, who has more than 25 years of experience in this branch, he said that the theory of acupuncture is that energy must flow through nerves — or energy meridians — throughout the body and organs.
"And where the energy stagnates then there is pain," said Con Chan. "And then inserting the needle opens the nerve and passes the current."
The acupuncturist assured that the needle does not carry any type of medicine. This is a completely natural method where the needle when inserted into the muscles is responsible for regulating energy through an electrical impulse that regulates the current.
Acupuncture, according to naturists, can cure pain, migraines, internal problems, insomnia, anxiety panic, among other diseases.
The medicine China herbalism
Another branch of holistic medicine and that can sometimes go hand in hand with acupuncture is Chinese herbal medicine, explained Con Chan.
Chinese herbal medicine is medicinal plants that have been used for thousands of years. It can reach up to 10,000 types of herbs that the Chinese documented and have books explaining what each herb works for and its side effects.
“It's a very elaborate system, it's not like saying,‘ use horsetail to cure that, ’’ said Con Chan. “We have to diagnose the person first by means of the pulse and the tongue and according to the disharmony we find we give personalized herbs to the person's system.
Con Chan said that seven people with the same symptom can arrive at his clinic, but not all of them will receive the same type of herbal medicine.
The medicine holistic is plus accepted
With Chan said that Latinos are very open to herbal medicine and this allows them to have more openness to this medicine.
"In acupuncture, maybe they have more questions, but with herbal medicine they feel more comfortable."
The acupuncturist said that, according to his professional criteria, after diagnosing the person, he recommends herbal medicine, acupuncture or both.
"You can say that sometimes the two are used in a complementary way," said Con Chan. Acupuncture is used for problems of the nervous system, pain, muscle. But if it is an internal problem, to go to the root, herbalism is better for problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. ”
He also indicated that until a few years ago his patients were primarily people over 50.
"But now it is more common to see young and professional people arrive," said Con Chan
I searched information from experts
Experts say that, although holistic medicine is becoming an increasingly common option to cure certain symptoms, patients need to do their own research.
The Mayo Clinic said that complementary treatments — complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) —like herbal remedies and meditation, are gaining acceptance in Western medicine.
Medical researchers are also learning about the importance of these therapies to help treat and prevent diseases and in some places they have begun to combine these techniques.
“This approach, called integrative medicine, takes advantage of conventional and alternative medicine practices based on evidence to improve health and treat diseases,” explains the Mayo Clinic website.
However, it is recommended that patients do not go unnoticed certain symptoms and treatments. The clinic recommends that you look for quality studies and expert publications.
