ROOT & BRANCH
The Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach to Treatment
TCM describes diseases in terms of a tree. The condition that brought the patient to the acupuncturist is one of the branches. The other branches are the other signs and symptoms of the condition. The underlying cause, the illness itself, is the main root of the illness. Contributing factors are often also roots.
This gives three possible strategies for treatment.
- Treating the branches - making the patient comfortable.
- Treating the root - restoring health.
- Treating both the root and the branch - the
branches are interfering to the
point that reducing their effects is a high priority.
Health Care Treatment is a Cooperative Effort.
The acupuncturist brings expertise and experience to the effort and the patient brings values and circumstances. Together, the two develop a shared understanding of the patient's condition and life circumstances. Next, they compare the patient's treatment goals with the acupuncturist's assessment of what is needed to reach those goals. From the acupuncturist's point of view there are three categories of results. The Rest of the Story
WHY ONE ACUPUNCTURIST SPECIALIZES IN THE TREATMENT OF PAIN
Chronic Pain is extremely costly to a society. In the workplace, production decreases, work quality suffers because of a worker distracted by pain, employees cost more to insure. Many people become disabled which can mean financial disaster. Chronic pain is much more common than we may notice in day to day life. Most people rarely admit to having the pain or the severity of it. These numbers may surprise you.
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60 to 70 million Americans have chronic pain.
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90% of Americans with chronic pain work while in pain.
I was a member of the second group for a long time. Very fortunately for me, my membership expired.
The Breadth and Depth of Pain's Effects.
Pain has a wide variety of ways it interferes with our ability to function in life. Few things disrupt life as dramatically and as much as pain. Pain can truly stop us in our tracks and keep us from moving on. The more pain interferes, the smaller the scope of life. For many with chronic pain, life is existence and little else. Here's a list of things
that restrict life and are caused by pain. The Rest of the Story
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