Traditional medicine

Acupuncture is among the most common therapies in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The healing practice, which involves the insertion of thin needles into the skin, is primarily used to relieve pain but is also used to help prevent and treat other conditions.“When we insert needles into specific points on the body called acupoints, we send a message to the body to ‘rebalance’ the flow of energy,” says Michelle Zhang, a TCM practitioner from Balanced Health in Hong Kong.These points serve as a communication pathway. “The energy, commonly known as qi, should flow freely and unobstructed. If there are blockages in this flow, illness may arise. By re-establishing good energy flow, the body can start to heal itself and your health will be restored.”Acupuncture – then and nowAcupuncture was mentioned in an ancient Chinese medical text known as the Huangdi Neijing (the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), which dates back to about 100BC.This text, which describes an organised system of diagnosing and treating disease, also recorded the use of massage techniques, herbal medicine and qigong – a traditional Chinese exercise that involves breathwork and meditation.The concept of channels through which qi flows was already well-established at this time, Zhang says. The location of acupuncture points throughout the…

Sonam Tsering, a Manpa (traditional physician), introduces the medicinal herbs to students for the Lum bathing recorded in the medical thangka of Gyud zhi (the Four Trantras) [Photo provided by the National Center for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in China]Traditional Tibetan bathing for a medical purpose was inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO Wednesday.The entry, officially known as Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa, knowledge and practices concerning life, health and illness prevention and treatment among the Tibetan people in China, obtained the status at the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is ongoing in Port Louis, Mauritius.It is China's 40th entry on the list.Students at the Tibetan Traditional Medicine College read the Gyud zhi (the Four Tantras) in Lhasa, capital city of the Tibetan autonomous region. [Photo provided by the National Center for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in China]In the Tibetan language, the word "Lum" indicates the traditional knowledge and practices of bathing in natural hot springs, herbal water or steam to adjust the balance of the body and mind, ensure health, and treat illness.It reflects…

Chinese cuisine is considered one of the best in the world. Like Mexican cuisine, Chinese cuisine is not really one cuisine, but several. Each region of this country, the most populated in the world, has very specific ways of cooking and flavors that predominate in its dishes. In general, salty, spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter flavors are the most representative in Chinese cuisine. In particular, spicy predominates in the center and south of the country; salty in the north and coastal areas; sweet in the east; sour in the south and bitter throughout the country. Moreover, this cuisine is based on the principle of traditional medicine: all dishes are created with the aim of being beneficial to health. Hot pot The spicy taste, for example, is related to promote blood circulation; the salty, to improve digestion; the sweet to tone the body and improve mood (serotonin!); the sour to soothe diarrhea and thirst, and the bitter to strengthen the stomach and promote salivation. How do you learn to eat the most impossible things with chopsticks in a short time? That's right, you travel to China. Preferably in a group. There you have no choice but to learn quickly how to…