Oriental Medicine

Oriental Medicine is a whole system of medicine that integrates many therapies to maintain optimal health.  Of these therapies, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology are the most popular in the United States. Some additional therapies include: diet, nutrition and lifestyle counseling.

It has been scientifically determined that human beings are unique bio-energetic systems.  For thousands of years Oriental Medicine has acknowledged that there is a vital life force that flows through all things which is called “Qi” (pronounced ‘chee’).  In Western culture, it is often referred to as “energy”.

Energy (Qi) flows along pathways in the human body, which are related to the organs, the muscular system, and the nervous system.  When the balance of this energy is disturbed due to trauma, poor diet, medications, stress, hereditary conditions, environmental factors or excessive emotional issues, then pain or illness results.  Oriental Medicine focuses on correcting these imbalances to treat the factors that cause disease.

Ancient Chinese herbal formulas are as effective now as they were when first introduced thousands of years ago. Most formulas consist of two to eighteen different herbs.  Formulas treat a wide variety of symptoms while stimulating the body’s natural healing process.  Hospital studies prescribing individualized complex herbal formulas have demonstrated excellent results with patients who fail to respond to conventional pharmaceutical treatments.

There are many important factors in prescribing herbal formulas such as the quality of manufacturing and product research.  Sunshine Integrative Health only prescribes herbal formulas from companies that are GMP Certified.

“Good manufacturing practice” or “GMP” is a term that is recognized worldwide for the control and management of manufacturing and quality control of foods, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices.  Good Manufacturing Practices are guidelines that provide a system of processes, procedures, and documentation to assure the product produced has the identity, strength, composition, quality, and purity that it is represented to possess.

Sources:  American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine;  NSF International: The Public Health and Safety Company™;  American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine;  Wikipedia: Good Manufacturing Practices