Oriental Medicine is a cumulative, empirical body of medical knowledge that has been continually augmented and refined for thousands of years by Asian cultures.

History

     Chinese medicine enjoys an uninterrupted history beginning with our eastern ancestors "tasting herbs," essentially repeated experimentation to determine the properties of plants in the Bronze Age (16th-11th centurty B.C.).  The first archaeological evidence of this experimentation along with stone tools resembling surgical tools was also found at this time. By 722 B.C., the beginning of recorded Chinese history, medicine and divination were separated, with the medical profession even being  divided into physicians, surgeons, dieticians, and veterinarians. By the 3rd Century B.C. the original compendiums of medical knowledge were compiled and the literary tradition began.  This body of knowledge grew over the centuries to incorporate different schools of thought on the nature of disease, always building on the continually growing database of treatment and outcome.  The Ben Cao Gang (encyclopedia of medical herbs) grew from 365 herbs in the 1rst century A.D. to 850 herbs in 659 A.D. to 1,892 herbs in 1579.

     In the 17th and 18th century missionaries and west began to influence China and there own herbal remedies were quickly added to their pharmacopeia. Western advanced surgical techniques were also incorporated.  As Westernization continued and city centers swelled the incorporation of technology and modern medicine were welcomed. In 1949,  the communist regime was dealing with staggering poverty and lack of resources, particularly in the rural areas. The training of the "barefoot doctors" began and these scarcely supplied doctors were sent into the countryside to aid in the health care of the nation. They were trained with a combination of East and West medical traditions including:  emergency medicine, immunization, hygiene, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal remedy. 

Today

    In China traditional medicine accounts for around 40% of health-care services.  Doctors are trained in acupuncture, herbal medicine, and western medicine independently, but work side by side in hospitals. In America, these therapies are growing rapidly and modern M.D.'s are gaining new found respect for its many positive attributes. Eastern medicine focuses on the uniqueness of each case, prevention of illness through diet and lifestyle, and its treatments prove effective with minimal side effects.

What We Treat