John Choi Practice Details

• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a holistic healthcare system with over 2,000 years of history. It has continually evolved to meet various medical needs in different times and places. It combines acupuncture, herbs, massage, and lifestyle changes to bring balance and health. Its philosophical concepts are based on the principle that diseases should be regarded in the context of both the physical and emotional sides of patients and their interaction with the environment.  

In a healthy person, there are sufficient amounts of qi (loosely translated as energy or bioelectricity) and blood, and their flow in the body is smooth and unobstructed. When an imbalance is introduced in the body, whether from external or internal reasons, the qi and blood may become deficient or stagnant, and cause a wide range of illnesses.

To help the patient, a western doctor would identify the agent (bacteria, virus, etc) or tissues involved in the disease and remove them with drugs or surgery. A TCM practitioner would identify the parts of the body which were too weak or in disharmony which led to the illness, and strengthen and balance the area while treating the current symptoms. In other words, the primary focus of TCM is to harmonize and restore the body so that it can help itself against sickness.

• Acupuncture is one of the most widely accepted forms of alternative therapy. With stimulation of certain points located on the surface of the skin with thin needles, mostly painless, acupuncture treatments can bring profound physiological changes to promote better health and balance in life. Rapidly popularized in the West during the past 30 years, acupuncture has been scrutinized by the scientific and medical communities. Recently the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that from the numerous studies on acupuncture's effectiveness in various conditions, "promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture..."  Please click HERE for the latest research on acupuncture and other alternative medicine.

• Herbs evolved into a healing art in China through observation and usage. This knowledge was compiled, refined, and passed down for several millenniums. In the West, typically a molecule is identified or engineered for treatment of a particular condition and is mass produced in laboratories. In contrast, Chinese herbs are selected from a variety of natural sources and after a thorough diagnosis, a customized combination is prepared to enhance therapeutic effectiveness. The herbal prescription is based on the philosophy that the root of the problem must be addressed as well as the manifesting symptoms.