The journey to parenthood may not always be smooth sailing for couples facing fertility issues. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can work as a complement to IVF and IUI or as an alternative treatment to improve your chances of conceiving.
Confinement can be a particularly stressful period as you have to take care of the baby while your body is recovering from the toils of the delivery process. Find out how TCM can help nourish and restore your body’s balance during this crucial period.
Thomson Chinese Medicine is a TCM clinic in Singapore that offers gentle, holistic paediatric massage therapy for children between 6 months and 12 years old. Our treatments, combined with herbal packs for external use, aim to improve your children’s he …
From the TCM perspective, pain arises due to congestion of Qi and Blood or deficiencies in the body. TCM treatments help to ease the blockage of Qi and Blood, triggering your body’s self-healing ability. Say no to painkillers and find out how TCM pain management treatments can benefit you.
Stroke causes oxygen-deprivation in parts of the brain, resulting in damage to brain cells and affecting abilities controlled by those areas of the brain. TCM treatments help to improve blood circulation and boost oxygen supply to the brain and also helps to dissipate blood clots for faster recovery.
Skin-related issues can be a real nuisance and may affect your confidence in social settings. Skin being the body’s largest and most visible organ, is closely related to the Lung and problems usually arise from various internal imbalances. These imbalances are often due to toxin build up, Lung heat, Stomach heat, heat in the Blood, Blood or Yin deficiency.
If you always feel weak and unwell, but medical reports indicate that you do not have any serious ailments, you may be in a state known as “Sub-health”. TCM treatments are effective in restoring your health to optimal levels by treating the symptoms and fortifying your body on a holistic level.
Need TCM treatment but unable to make it to the clinic? Be it for yourself, an elderly or your unwell child, our physicians can now treat you in the comfort and convenience of your preferred location island-wide.
The radiance and colour of our skin is a reflection of our overall health. Traditional Chinese medicine seeks to identify these underlying causes and restore balance in the body to achieve naturally radiant skin.
The radiance and colour of our skin is a reflection of our overall health. Visiting a beauty salon may help us achieve a temporary boost in our complexion, but for true beauty that lasts, we need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and address the root causes behind any skin condition.
Getting to the root of the problem
Traditional Chinese medicine seeks to identify these underlying causes and restore balance in the body to achieve naturally radiant skin.
During a TCM session, the physician will ask questions related to the skin condition, as well as the patient’s lifestyle habits and medical history. Then he/she will check the tongue, the pulse and the appearance of the skin (see table below) before diagnosing the root cause of the condition.
Restoring the balance
Based on the causes identified, the physician may prescribe treatment to restore balance in the body.
This could mean increasing the supply of blood or replenishing Yin to deficient organs (note that in TCM, the functions of the “organs” differ from those as defined in Western medicine). If circulation is the problem, the treatment will seek to enhance flow along meridian pathways. Sometimes it is necessary to expel excessive heat or dampness from the body.
Common treatments include herbal medicine, acupuncture, external wash or a combination of these treatments. The physician may also recommend changes to the diet, or food to avoid.
The risk of side effects is low as Chinese herbal medicine comprises mainly botanicals, and acupuncture is generally safe in the hands of an experienced practitioner.
Holistic treatment is key
Every patient has different needs. The treatment duration will depend on the severity of the skin condition as well as the patient’s constitution.
For example, ladies who present pale or pallid skin due to a deficiency in energy or blood as a result of menstrual irregularity will need to be treated for at least 8 to 12 weeks.
Lastly, a healthy lifestyle is the foundation for radiant skin. This includes eating balanced meals, sleeping and waking up early, maintaining a work-life balance, caring for your emotional health, exercising regularly and protecting yourself from the sun.
5-minute Massage: 10 points to try
According to TCM, massaging selected acupoints helps to enhance the flow along meridian pathways. By transporting oxygen and nutrients efficiently to the skin and the entire body, acupressure massage can slow the ageing process and restore radiance to our skin. All it takes are five minutes a day on these ten acupoints. Give it a try!
Jing Ming: Located on the inside edge of the orbit of each eye.
Cuan Zhu: Located in the depression of the medial end of each eyebrow.
Yu Yao: Located in the middle of the eyebrow directly above the pupil
Si Zhu Kong: Located in the depression at the lateral end of the eyebrow.
Cheng Qi: Located below the pupil, between the eyeball and the infraorbital ridge.
Ying Xiang: Located next to each nostril.
Ju Liao: Located below the pupil, at the level of the lower border of the nostril.
Quan Liao: Located below the outer corner of the eye, in the depression on the lower border of the cheekbone.
Lian Quan: Located on the neck, in the depression below the root of the tongue.
Yi Feng: Located in the depression behind the earlobe.
Skin appearance and underlying causes
Color: White Appearance: Pale (pallid) Causes: Lacking in energy, lacking in blood and cold body constitution
Color: Yellow Appearance: Unhealthy yellow/pale brown Causes: Spleen deficiency and excessive dampness
Color: Red Appearance: Rosy, Healthy, Flushed and Unhealthy Causes: Lacking in Yin, excessive internal heat and excessive external heat
Color: Black Appearance: Shrivelled Causes: Kidney deficiency
Color: Green Appearance: Livid (dark bluish grey) Causes: Stagnation of energy-blood circulation and cold body constitution
