Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) vs. Western Medicine
The most common question Dr. Baert gets from patients, friends and relatives is, "Can acupuncture treat...?". Even though her answer is nearly always "yes," she knows why they keep asking. It's because their idea of how healthcare works is framed by their experiences with modern Western medicine. This is what most of us grew up with. We remember the "only one symptom per appointment" sign on the wall, so it's hard for us to imagine anything different.
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In the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is no such thing as treating one symptom at a time. TCM looks at all of your symptoms at the same time, with the goal of treating the root of the problem. In TCM, many symptoms can be related in ways that don't make sense from the perspective of modern Western medicine. A symptom that may have been considered irrelevant can turn out to be the crux of your diagnosis in TCM. To see what's beyond, we have to take off our Western medicine glasses for a moment, and put on our TCM glasses. From the new perspective that Chinese medicine theory brings us, we discover new and surprising possibilities for healthcare.
...In TCM, many symptoms can be related in ways that don't make sense from the perspective of modern Western medicine. A symptom that may have been considered irrelevant can turn out to be the crux of your diagnosis...
How to Know What Symptoms and Conditions Can Be Treated with TCM
Our modern Western medical system is an essential tool, even though it has some aspects we may not like. Emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and testing, and surgery are great innovations that can be life saving for those who need it.
When we're deciding how we take care of ourselves and our family, we don't need to choose between Western medicine and TCM, because they each do things that the other cannot. What we need is to better understand when to make use of Western medicine and when to seek out treatment with TCM.
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To learn more, click on What Can TCM Treat in the menu above. Dr. Baert's hope is that this website becomes a resource to help people better understand what symptoms and conditions can be treated with TCM.