fundamentally different from that of Western medicine. In TCM, the

understanding of the human body is based on the holistic

understanding of the universe as described in Daoism, and the

treatment of illness is based primarily on the diagnosis and

differentiation of syndromes. The TCM approach treats zang--fu

organs as the core of the human body. Tissue and organs are

connected through a network of channels and blood vessels inside

human body. Qi(vital energy)acts as some kind of carrier of

information that is expressed externally through Meridian-collateral

system. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment starts with the

analysis of the entire system, then focuses on the correction of

pathological changes through readjusting the functions of the zang

-fu organs. Evaluation of a syndrome not only includes the cause,

mechanism, location, and nature of the disease, but also the

confrontation between the pathogenic factor and body resistance.

Treatment is not only based on the symptoms, but differentiation

of syndromes. Therefore, those with an identical disease may be

treated in different ways, and on the other hand, different diseases

may result in the same syndrome and are treated in similar ways.

The clinical diagnosis and treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine

are mainly based on the yin-yang and five elements theories. These

theories apply the phenomena and laws of nature to the study of the

physiological activities and pathological changes of the human body

and its interrelationships. The typical TCM therapies include

acupuncture, herbal medicine, and qigong exercises. With

acupuncture, treatment is accomplished by stimulating certain

areas of the external body. Herbal medicine acts on zang-fu

organs internally, while qigong tries to restore the orderly

information flow inside the network through the regulation of Qi.

These therapies appear very different in approach yet they all

share the same underlying sets of assumptions and insights in

the nature of the human body and its place in the universe. Some

scientists describe the treatment of diseases through herbal