Chinese herbal medicine, Geelong
Based on principles dating back more than 5000 years, the Chinese herbal medicine at Geelong Chinese Medicine Clinic has stood the test of time. As much about illness prevention as it is treatment – Chinese medicine involves practitioners taking a personalised approach to the prescription, preparation and dispensing of medicines specifically tailored to individuals and their health.
Chinese medicine adopts the premise that no two people have the same physiology and therefore will not display precisely the same symptoms for illnesses and diseases. Consequently each individual might require a different prescription of Chinese medicine even though they might have the same health condition as others.
The clinicians at Geelong Chinese Medicine Clinic will prepare and recommend Chinese herbal medicines suited to each person’s unique needs, including
- pills that are manufactured and very easy to take
- granules with a tailor-made formula for your specific condition
- herbs for external use.
What is Chinese herbal medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine refers to plants, animals and minerals grown in the natural world or processed from natural products. The majority of medicines are plants, which is why we generally call them herbal medicine. In the long history of Chinese medicine practise, there are over 3000 individual herbs listed in the Chinese Medicine literatures, and about 200 to 300 of them are commonly used in today’s practise.
How does Chinese herbal Medicine work?
Chinese herbal medicine is applied based on Chinese medicine theory – including Yin and Yang theory, five element theory, Qi, Blood and water metabolism theory – to strengthen weaknesses and purge excesses, warm the Yang and reinforce the Yin to balance out the body.
Herbs grow in different environments and each has a different taste and property. In Chinese medicine, herbs are used according to taste and property.
For example, ginseng grows in a cool environment and has a sweet taste. It is used to warm up the body and reinforce the weakness for people recovering from bad injuries and diseases. Dandelion, a very common weed growing in our backyard, has a bitter taste and it grows very well in warm seasons. Dandelion is cooling and purging, used in treating infection, inflammation and abscess and detoxifying the liver and stomach.
In practise, a formula (a group of herbs) is usually given instead of an individual herb on its own to maximise the treatment effect.
Chinese medicine is an individualised medicine. People with different diseases can be given the same herbs, while different herbs can be prescribed to treat the same health issue in different people.
What can Chinese herbal medicine treat?
Chinese herbal medicine can help improve a wide range of health problems, from sleep problems to digestive issues, stress and hay fever and other allergies. At Geelong Chinese Medicine Clinic, we believe in using Chinese herbal medicine to relieve sufferings as well as improve overall health and well-being in order to prevent the imbalances in the body that lead to disease and other health concerns.
A peaceful mind, body and spirit is the binding principle of Chinese medicine. If there is even a small imbalance in any part of the body, it can disrupt the flow of energy, resulting in pain or sickness.
The Chinese medicine practice focuses on patterns of signs and symptoms and the mechanisms behind these symptoms – which is the dynamic balance of Yin and Yang, Blood and Qi movement as well as the visceral organs.
Using a combination of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, our practitioners help restore your body to optimum function, as well as reduce pain and other symptoms of disease, sickness and other health concerns.
What to expect on a Chinese medicine consultation
At Geelong Chinese Medicine Clinic, a Chinese medicine consultation generally takes about half an hour. We need to know about your very detailed health history as well as your general health conditions. We also read your tongue and pulse to get a whole picture of your body and then make an individualised formula to rebalance it. We have both powder herbs and patent herbal pills to suit the individual need.