Pain
From the Chinese medicine perspective, pain arises from either external trauma (like a sport injury or an accident) or from an internal cause (such as an energy or Qi deficiency, or energy stagnation). External injuries are generally easier to treat and resolve more quickly; internal pain conditions can prove to be much more complicated.
Chinese medicine understands pain with an internal source as a sign from within. It indicates there is a disturbance somewhere—that something is out of balance. What’s truly important when treating this type of pain is the fundamental approach to it: discovering why it exists and what is needed to resolve it completely or merely taking steps to mask its presence, only to have it reemerge once again at another time, perhaps in another body location. Chinese medicine believes in the former course of action—in finding the root cause of the pain and treating it appropriately so it will be fully healed. The true source of the problem must be found or only the symptoms will be treated. Finding the root cause of internal pain takes a great degree of knowledge. A skilled practitioner will know how to interpret the pain, how to understand its meaning in terms of location and exactly what it is trying to convey about its source, as well as how it relates to the body’s function as a whole at the level of energy. Treatment then aims to restore balance through natural methods such as acupuncture, which can remove energy blockages; herbal therapy, which nourishes and supports affected organ systems; and Qigong, energy movements that can effectively relieve chronic pain.
