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Diabetes is one of the most prevalent ent system of medicine that uses sever-
chronic diseases in the United States. al modalities to treat and prevent ill-
The morbidity and mortality associated ness. The most commonly employed
Maggie B. Covington, MD with the disease is significant and therapeutic methods in TCM include
derives primarily from complications of acupuncture/moxibustion, Chinese
persistent hyperglycemia. Longstanding herbal medicine, diet therapy,
hyperglycemia has been shown to lead mind/body exercises (Qigong and Tai
to vascular complications involving Chi), and Tui Na (Chinese massage).3
large and small blood vessels, such as TCM views the human body and
arteriosclerosis, glomerulosclerosis, and its functioning in a holistic way. From
retinopathy. Diabetic neuropathy, char- this perspective, no single body part
acterized by pain and paresthesias, is or symptom can be understood apart
among the most frequent complications from its relation to the whole. Unlike
of longstanding, poorly controlled dia- Western medicine, which seeks to
betes and is often associated with a uncover a distinct entity or causative
reduction in physical activity and with factor for a particular illness, TCM
sleep disturbances.1,2 looks at patterns of disharmony,
Western or conventional therapies which include all presenting signs and
for diabetes have been geared toward symptoms as well as patients’ emo-
regulating blood glucose with a combi- tional and psychological responses.
nation of diet modification, insulin Humans are viewed both as a reflec-
and/or oral pharmacological agents, tion of and as an integral part of
weight loss when appropriate, and nature, and health results from main-
exercise. Although Western medicine taining harmony and balance within
and Traditional Chinese medicine the body and between the body and
(TCM) share the diabetes treatment nature.3
goals of reducing symptoms and pre- Two basic TCM theories explain
venting complications, their approach- and describe phenomena in nature,
es to conceptualizing, diagnosing, and including human beings: Yin-Yang
treating the disease are very different. Theory and the Five Phases Theory or
This article will outline the key con- Five Element Theory.
cepts and therapies of TCM that play Yin and Yang are complementary
a role in the evaluation and treatment opposites used to describe how things
of diabetic patients. function in relation to each other and
to the universe. They are interdepen-
Traditional Chinese Medicine dent—one cannot exist without the
TCM is a system of healing that origi- other, and they have the ability to
nated thousands of years ago. It has transform into each other.3 The tradi-
evolved into a well-developed, coher- tional Yin-Yang symbol (Figure 1)
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Diabetes Spectrum Volume 14, Number 3, 2001
Within the model of Five Phases, the body. There are 12 regular meridi-
159