The traditional Chinese understanding of disease, diagnosis, treatment, and how the body works was developed by the ancients, and it is still followed today. The ideas are very different from those of modern medicine. Qi is thought of as energy that flows through the body along pathways known as meridians. In Chinese medicine, all ailments and disorders are believed caused by an imbalance of qi. Diagnosing an ailment involves finding out the condition of the patient's qi.
Treatment aims to balance the patient's qi.
An imbalance occurs when opposite and complementary forces, called yin and yang, become unbalanced because there is too much of one and not enough of the other. Diagnosis and treatment are developed according to the Chinese concept of the relationship between internal body organs and the elements believed to make up the entire universe. These elements are earth, fire, water, wood, and metal. A patient diagnosed with pneumonia, for example, might be given the traditional Chinese diagnosis of deficiency of liver qi or excess of heat in the spleen. The main treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine are acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, massage, herbal remedies, and movement and concentration exercises, such as qigong and tai chi.