Chinese herbal medicine is also an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a very important one. Chinese herbal therapy works coherently with acupuncture by providing the nourishing support for the energetic “re-programming” and “rebalancing” efforts of acupuncture.
The origins of Chinese herbal medicine in China can be traced back at least 5000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world.
Before pharmaceuticals (and even acupuncture itself) herbal remedies were used to heal and balance the human body. Chinese Herbal Medicine is a very powerful tool and can be used in a variety of different ways: to augment the treatment of a specific imbalance, working together with other medicines or sometimes in place of acupuncture and other medicines. Unlike most pharmaceutical and over the counter drugs, Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriptions are individually made for each patient.
When used in carefully selected combinations, herbs offer the body support, working to maintain the best balance of all internal systems. Unlike pharmaceuticals which usually come with numerous side-effects, Chinese Herbal Medicine is a much safer alternative, especially in treating chronic medical problems. The reason that it is very safe for our body is because in order to construct a certain herbal formula, an experienced herbalist always carefully follows the principle of using four groups of herbs. The primary group of herbs target at the main action. For instance, when someone comes in with lower back pain, the primary group would focus on moving the blood stasis. The secondary group of herbs would assist the primary action to moving the blood stasis. The tertiary groups of herbs would focus on other complaints related to the main complaints; in this case lower back pain usually causes sleep problems. Therefore the tertiary group would help to calm the nervous system and ease pain while promoting better sleep. The last group of herbs’ job is just as important as first three. It harmonizes all other herbs and reduces any possible side-effects from those herbs. As you can see, an experienced herbalist would never prescribe a single herb unless it is for a specific function. Herbs are always prescribed in a form of formula that may consist of 4-20 herbs with an appropriate radio to enhance the treatment result and reduce side-effects.
1st Choice Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine will work with patients to prescribe unique, individualized herbal formulation that works either on a continual basis to build overall health, or on a short-term basis to address a specific problem. We only use the finest grade of Chinese herbal medicine available. All our herbal products must pass 15 tests at the manufacturer before they are bottled, such include total and individual heavy metal tests, pesticide test, total yeast and mold test, E.coli test, salmonella test, total bacterial count test etc. You can rest assured that our herbal products not only deliver great results, but are also of the best quality available.
