Difference Between Chinese and Western Medicine

Western medicine often relies on pharmaceutical therapies to address health issues, while Chinese medicine relies on more natural substances. Some patients opt for a combination of Chinese and Western medicine, and it's a good idea to share with your practitioner or provider all the treatments and therapies you use.

1. What is the difference between Chinese medicine and Western medicine?
2. Can I mix Western and Chinese medicine?
3. What is the difference between Chinese and Western acupuncture?
4. What is Westernized medicine?
5. Why is Western medicine better?
6. What does Western medicine focus on?
7. Can Chinese herbs be harmful?
8. Does Chinese medicine really work?
9. What does traditional Chinese medicine include?
10. Is acupuncture Eastern or Western medicine?
11. Does acupuncture hurt?
12. How does Western acupuncture work?

What is the difference between Chinese medicine and Western medicine?

a. Chinese medicine can have effects or changes in the overall immune system, so it can prevent future issues or reoccurrence of an illness that Western medicine is unable to address. Thus, Chinese medicine addresses the root cause of the disease whereas Western medicine sometimes can only address the symptoms.

Can I mix Western and Chinese medicine?

Can I receive Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment while taking western medicine? In most cases, there is no conflict between these two treatments. TCM focuses on the cause of disease and improving body constitution. Integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine increases efficacy.

What is the difference between Chinese and Western acupuncture?

What's the difference between western and traditional Chinese acupuncture? Traditional Chinese acupuncture is based on the belief that it can restore the flow of Qi, an energy that flows through your body, while western medical acupuncture is evidence- based and is only administered after a full diagnosis.

What is Westernized medicine?

Listen to pronunciation. (WES-tern MEH-dih-sin) A system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.

Why is Western medicine better?

An advantage of western medicine is that it is made effective quickly. Injured patients can go to an emergency room and find the cause of their medical problem along with the solution within a few hours thanks to the use of laboratories, X-Rays and other procedures.

What does Western medicine focus on?

Overall, western medicine focuses on pathology and curing disease while alternative medicine focuses on the health and healing of the person. For both treatments, the majority of concern comes from general misunderstanding and a lack of compromise from both sides.

Can Chinese herbs be harmful?

Some Chinese herbal products have been contaminated with toxic compounds, heavy metals, pesticides, and microorganisms and may have serious side effects. Manufacturing errors, in which one herb is mistakenly replaced with another, also have resulted in serious complications.

Does Chinese medicine really work?

Critics argue that there is no physiological evidence that qi or meridians exist, and scant evidence that TCM works. There have been just a handful of cases in which Chinese herbal treatments have proved effective in randomized controlled clinical trials. One notable product that has emerged from TCM is artemisinin.

What does traditional Chinese medicine include?

Traditional Chinese medicine includes acupuncture, diet, herbal therapy, meditation, physical exercise, and massage. Also called Oriental medicine and TCM.

Is acupuncture Eastern or Western medicine?

While Western Medicine is based on chemical-based medications and invasive procedures, Eastern Medicine vouches for non-invasive means through herbal medicines and mindfulness. Acupuncture is a prime example of this difference; central to the East but non-existent in the West.

Does acupuncture hurt?

Does Acupuncture Hurt? Acupuncture needles are very thin, and most people feel no pain or very little pain when they are inserted. They often say they feel energized or relaxed after the treatment. However, the needles can cause temporary soreness.

How does Western acupuncture work?

How acupuncture works. Western medical acupuncture is the use of acupuncture following a medical diagnosis. It involves stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles. This results in the body producing natural substances, such as pain-relieving endorphins.