Combining Oriental and Western Medicine 

More and more people are becoming aware of how acupuncture and Oriental Medicine can be combined with Western medical treatment to provide you with a total health care experience.

Complementary Approaches
Oriental Medicine is based on philosophy and experience, while Western medicine is structured on natural science. Oriental Medicine is considered to be holistic—taking into account how all parts of your body and mind work together to affect your health. Western medicine is analytical—each part of your body and mind is looked at separately and treated independently from the others.

These different approaches have their strengths and weaknesses; and as you might expect: the strengths of Oriental Medicine are the weaknesses of Western medicine, and the strengths of Western medicine are the weaknesses of Oriental medicine. As a result, sometimes it is useful to combine both Oriental and Western treatments. 

So, from a total health care point of view, Oriental and Western approaches to health and well-being can be integrated to meet your needs.

Examples
Western medicine is superior in treating life-threatening pathogens like tuberculosis, that attack from outside the body, while Oriental Medicine is superior in cultivating your internal life force (chi) which helps build the immune system so you're less susceptible to many diseases and discomforts before they occur. 

Another example would be where a person's bones have become brittle, making them vulnerable to fractures. In this situation the person would go to a hospital to take advantage of x-ray technology and would then use Oriental Medicine to address the condition that caused the bones to weaken in the first place.

Bottom-Line
The aim of Oriental Medicine is to treat the root cause of a health problem— for instance, focusing on building up the immune system—while  Western medicine primarily works to treat symptoms. 

So which approach or combination provides you with the best health care plan? You have to decide based on conversations with the different practitioners. But in the end, you'll know by what makes you feel healthy.

BIOM Get-Away Packages
Get away for a day—or a weekend—to enjoy health and well-being at BIOM on beautiful and relaxing Bainbridge Island. BIOM is a quiet, semi-secluded refuge from the hustle and bustle of hectic schedules—just a relaxing 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.

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