Can acupuncture be preventative?
Yes, often Western medicine cannot detect the beginning stages of what will eventually become a serious disease or condition. Western medicine is limited to the objective symptom, which are often known only after the condition is in a more serious stage. Traditional Chinese Medicine is able to diagnose the onset of a condition because of the holistic approach that is used in treatment. For example, a patient who is experiencing mild stomach irritation upon eating spicy or oily food with some loose bowels or mild constipation may over time and without intervention become full blown irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers or even cancer. Chinese medicine would take these symptoms combined with diagnosis of the face, tongue, eyes, pulse and other irregularities to determine the underlying condition. The condition can then be treated with needles and herbs to resolve the accumulated stagnation. If you told a Western doctor these symptoms, they might prescribe Tums or something similar, wh
