Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at a person’s health and wellbeing through a holistic lens, to achieve a balance of harmony in mind and in body. The University of Malta, in conjunction with its academic programme, set up a Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic manned by highly professional doctors from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, who are sent over purposely to provide clinical services in alternative medicine at the Centre. Treatment options offered include dietary advice, herbal medicine and interventions such as acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping.
Chinese Medicine can provide a holistic approach to treating many aspects of health-related issues including:
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes a broad range of therapeutic methods developed in China over the last 2,000 years. These methods can include various modalities including the use of herbs, acupuncture and moxibustion, massage and exercise, and dietary modification therapy. The traditional rationale for these methods is the restoration of the body’s harmony. Diagnosis in TCM aims to detect patterns of disharmony by measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and looking at the eating and sleeping habits of the individual as well as many other factors. Since the 1950s, efforts have been made in China to standardise these precepts and to attempt to integrate them with modern notions of anatomy and pathophysiology. TCM continues to be widely used in China and is also being increasingly adopted in the West especially as an adjutant to conventional western treatment.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of needles in specific points, termed acupoints, with their subsequent manipulation. Moxibustion involves the further procedure of burning mug-wort on or near the skin at an acupuncture point. Electro-acupuncture includes the application of an electric current to the needles once they are inserted in order to further stimulate the respective acupuncture points.
All these methods are TCM modalities used for pain relief used alone or as an adjunct to other treatment modalities, though it has also been used to treat a wide range of other conditions such aschemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting, postoperative nausea/vomiting, and idiopathic headache. It is generally very safe without side-effects when done by an appropriately trained practitioner.
Other TCM modalities of treatment include cupping and dietary regimens. Cupping is considered to be a type of Chinese massage, consisting of placing several glass cups on the body. The cup is warmed with a lighted match and then placed against the skin. As the cup cools, a suction effect is produced causing it to stick to the skin. When combined with massage oil, the cups can be slid around the back, offering 'reverse-pressure massage'. Dietary regimens include advice regarding the maintenance of a balanced diet using different classes of foods.
As a patient, your can discuss options for treatment, after a detailed consultation (against a nominal fee). Appointments can be made by contacting the Clinic by phone on +356 2340 3988 or by sending an email, after formal referral by a medical practitioner.
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