Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of primary health care that includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, remedial massage, diet and lifestyle advice. In Australia, the most popular forms of TCM health care are acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.


Traditional Chinese Medicine has an uninterrupted history of development in China and other parts of East Asia dating back thousands of years. The primary feature of modern TCM is the premise that good health relies on the restoration and maintenance of harmony, balance and order to the individual.


TCM takes a holistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes.  Its focus is on the prevention of illness as much as the treatment.


When healthy, an abundant supply of qi (pronounced chee) or "life energy" flows through the body's meridians (a network of invisible channels through the body). If the flow of qi in the meridians becomes blocked or there is an inadequate supply of qi, then the body fails to maintain harmony, balance and order, and disease or illness follows. Stress, overwork, poor diet, disease pathogens, weather, environmental conditions, and other lifestyle factors contribute to disharmony and becomes evident to TCM practitioners through identifiable signs of body dysfunction. TCM practitioners look carefully for these signs of health and dysfunction, paying particular attention not only to the presenting condition, but also the medical history, general constitution, pulse and tongue.