Although this section is titled Chinese Medicine 101, this is not a course per se, but rather a broad overview that introduces modern Traditional Chinese Medicine. We have chosen acupuncture as our preferred angle to illustrate our point, but the information generally applies to other branches of Chinese medicine as well. The writing work is the work of three acupuncture teachers from the College of Rosemont, Quebec (see below).

6 years old, Chinese medicine is the result of an amalgamation of theories and practices not only from China, but also from Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian countries. It therefore includes a multitude of schools of thought among which we have chosen what is now called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The West discovered it after US President Richard Nixon visited in 000 when mainland China opened up to the rest of the world. Contemporary TCM was redefined by the major Chinese institutes in the 1972s. At that time, we wanted its teaching to become uniform, that it could coexist with Western medicine and that it be validated by modern scientific studies. .

TCM, like Western medicine, is a comprehensive medical system with its own tools and unique way of interpreting the causes of disease, making diagnoses, and conceiving physiology. For example, in the West we tend to think of organs, be it the heart, intestines or lungs, as perfectly circumscribed entities that can be dissected, analyzed, weighed and measured with precision. Chinese physiology places much less emphasis on these refined descriptions, but places more emphasis on the functional relationships between organs. She dwells on describing the links between the Organs and the rest of the body as much in the harmonious functioning that maintains health, as in the evolution of an imbalance which, from a certain organic sphere gradually disrupts others. spheres.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has five main disciplines (acupuncture, dietetics, Tui Na massage, pharmacopoeia and energy exercises – Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong) which are briefly presented in the PasseportSanté.net sheets. These disciplines offer different modes of intervention, often complementary, which are based on the same foundations, both in their conception of the human body and its relations with the environment, in their interpretation of signs of imbalance and in their definition of major orientations. therapeutic. It is these foundations, both theoretical and practical, that we suggest you discover or deepen in this course. We hope that in this way, you will better understand why an acupuncturist wants to treat your back, prick you and unblock “the Qi that stagnates in one of your Meridians”, or why an herbalist offers you a decoction to free the Surface, disperse the Cold or drive away the Wind because a “Wind-Cold” gave you the symptoms of a cold.

It should be noted that we are discussing here a way of thinking and apprehending reality which is sometimes confusing and often far removed from our usual references. To our Western mind, some concepts may seem simplistic or off-putting at first. But don’t let that put you off. We designed the course in progressive, interrelated levels. If any concepts do not seem quite clear to you on first reading, read on, and soon, as you soak up this context, a new understanding should set in. The privileged structure is not intended to be Cartesian, but rather round and organic in the Chinese style.

The course is organized in successive levels, with this sheet as a starting point. (See the sitemap at the top of the page.) At each level, the information becomes more specific and complex. But you can come back to the basic concepts presented at the first levels at any time. It is possible to navigate linearly, from the first to the fifth level, but you don’t have to. So you could immediately go to the fourth level, and look at the clinical case concerning the headache, for example; then from there, visit the other sections as and when you need them (physiology, Yin and Yang, treatment tools, etc.).

If you are not familiar with TCM, we still advise you to read the three basic sheets (Language, Holistic and Qi – Energy) before starting your navigation. The Foundations section (Yin Yang and Five Elements) could then be addressed to better understand the foundations of TCM.

By clicking on a dark blue word, you will display the page where the concept in question is discussed in more depth. In addition, just drag the mouse over the terms highlighted in pale blue (Meridian, for example) to see their definition or translation (to come). You can also consult the glossary at any time by clicking on the icon at the top of the pages.

Level 2 introduces you to the foundations of TCM: its holistic approach, its particular language and the fundamental concept of Qi, universal energy.

Level 3 presents a summary of six aspects of TCM that you can deepen at your convenience in levels 4 and 5:

• The foundations of TCM: Yin and Yang, and the dynamics of the Five Elements.
• The physiology of the human body from the perspective of Chinese energetics, and the description of the main organs and their interrelationships.
• The causes of diseases: whether internal or external, climatic or dietetic, their pictorial representations are often surprising.
• The clinical examination as performed by an acupuncturist in his office.
• The acupuncture treatment tools: the needle of course, but also the laser and the suction cup.
• Clinical cases where you are invited to accompany patients with common illnesses, visiting their acupuncturist.