herbal medicine

Chinese Herbal Medicine is a carefully formulated technique that has been successfully used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 3,000 years. The herbs - which can be formulated in pill, raw (boiled) or dried into tea form - are used to treat disease, reduce symptoms, treat underlying abnormalities in the body and maintain health. Many people benefit from the use of herbal medicine either combined with or as an alternative to Western medicine.

How Herbal Medicine Differs From Western Medicine

Many individuals choose to explore herbal medicine to treat illness or disease or enhance overall health because it can be gentler than Western Medicine. Western Medicines are largely more potent than herbs. As a result, they may provide quick results, but also create potentially harsh side effects. Chinese Herbal Medicine is much more subtle. It may take longer to recognize its benefits, but usually produces little or no side effects when used properly.

As a whole, Chinese Herbal Medicine is designed to treat the underlying abnormality or problem in the body - not just the symptom - to improve overall health in the short and long term. Many Chinese Herbal Medicines focus on helping the body regain or maintain a normal health cycle. When a person is not able to sleep well, eat well, manage stress effectively and exercise, it is open to many problems. Chinese Herbal Medicine can address these underlying issues and help patients get back to positive health.

Diagnosis

At the Oasis Center for Health, only board certified physicians who specialize in herbal medicine prescribe herbs. Because the prescribing physicians are trained in and practice Western Medicine as well as herbal medicine, they have a deep understanding of the benefits and uses of both. Herbal medicine may be used to enhance Western therapies, reduce over-medication or find alternative therapy when Western Medicine has not worked or produced undesirable side effects.

To diagnose the right combination of herbs, the physician will perform a complete physical exam and health history, take into account current symptoms or complaints, and discuss lifestyle issues. In addition, the patient's tongue is observed and the pulse palpated for further evaluation. The physician, having trained in the methods of Chinese Herbal Medicine, is able to perceive the patient's patterns of disharmony within the body. This disharmony, combined with other evaluation data, is used to prescribe herbs that will balance and harmonize the patient's vital energy.

Treatment

If the patient has a chronic condition, there are potentially several patterns of disharmony occurring within the body. The practitioner chooses herbs to correct the major or most acute disharmony first. As the patient responds, it may be necessary to change the herbs in order to correct other patterns of disharmony. This is done until maximum benefit is achieved.