C
Cardioactive Affecting Heart Function.
Carminative Relieves Flatulence, Digestive Colic, And Gastric Discomfort.
Catabolism The catabolic process of metabolism in which tissue is broken down to liberate energy. In the context of Chinese medicine, catabolic processes correspond to Yang categories of generation and distribution of Qi, Moisture, and Blood (in other words, the animation of the organism that is the expression of Shen).
Catarrh chronic inflammation of mucous membranes, with constant flow of thick mucus.
Cathartic Drastic Purgative (Q.V.).
Cause of Disease

The TCM practitioner will be able to determine the underlying condition, but what caused the underlying condition in the first place? There are many causes of disease according to TCM. Sometimes it is very clear what caused an underlying condition. For example, if a person caught a cold and following that developed a chronic cough, in TCM terms an exterior attack of wind-cold transformed into an interior Lung condition. However, often the specific cause of disease is unclear, particularly for long-term chronic problems. According to TCM, the various causes that disrupt the body's balance can be divided into three categories ¾ internal causes, external causes, causes that are neither specifically external nor internal.

Internal Causes -- Any emotion in excess can cause illness. TCM divides emotions into anger, joy, sadness, worry or "thinking too much," fear and shock. It may seem curious that joy could cause illness. But remember, here we are talking about emotion in excess. It is normal to have emotional fluctuations and various stresses in day-to-day living. What is key is how such fluctuations are managed. Excessive sexual activity, poor diet, and over-exertion (mental and/or physical) can also cause illness.

External Causes -- In TCM, there are six external pathogens that may enter the exterior of the body _ Wind, Cold, Heat, Damp, Dry, and Fire. If treated in a timely and correct way, these external pathogens are easily dispelled. But if not dispelled, these external pathogens may move deeper into the body and cause chronic disease.

Other Causes -- These causes do not neatly fall into the categories of internal and external. They include: weak constitution, trauma/injury, parasites, poisons, and incorrect treatment.
Cesarian birth delivery of the fetus by abdominal incision.
Chakila Center Or Point Of Spiritual Power And Energy In The Body.
Chakras A Sanskrit word meaning "wheel" and representing spinning vortexes of energy. They are believed to be the centers of force located within the etheric body, and regulate physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life-force energies.
Channel (See Meridian) Also called meridian, a network of nonanatomical conduit vessels through which the Qi circulates. Each of the Organ Networks has a corresponding channel: Liver, Gallbladder, Heart, Small Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Large Intestine, Kidney, Bladder, Pericardium, and Triple-Burner. In addition there is the Conception Vessel, which travels along the midline in the front of the body, and the Governor Vessel, which travels along the back of the middle of the head and down the spine. There are also "extra channels," which are made up of a combination of acupuncture points from different channels.
Character In our terms, the inborn nature or matrix of the soma and psyche expressed as one of the Five-Phase types. Character is distinct from personality insofar as the latter is an aggregate of what is both inherited (genetic) and acquired (experience and development), whereas character refers to the innate tendencies and potentials of the individual.
Chi Kung (Qi Gong) An Oriental medical art that literally means "energy cultivation."
Chicken pox acute infectious disease caused by a virus, with malaise, fever, and characteristic rash consisting of red elevated vesicles or blisters that crust over and come in crops.
Chinese Medicine A methodology of medicine developed in ancient China, also known as Chinese traditional medicine, that refers to a system of thinking and practice rather than a description of current medical convention in China.
Chiropractic Founded in 1895 by D. D. Palmer, based on the integral communication system built around the spinal cord. The basic belief is that the spine’s vertebrae influences the quality of information traveling over the spinal cord and throughout the nervous system.
Cholagogue Stimulates Bile Flow From The Gallbladder And Bile Ducts Into The Duodenum.
Choleretic Increases Secretion Of Bile By The Liver.
Choleric Galenical (Q.V.) Temperament Related To Yellow Bile (Q.V.).
Chronic persisting for a long time; a state showing little or no change.
Circulatory Stimulant Increases Blood Flow.
Clinical studies (Also clinical trials, clinical outcomes studies, controlled trials, case series, comparative trials, or practice audit evidence.) Tests of a treatment's effects in humans. Treatments undergo clinical studies only after they have shown promise in laboratory studies of animals. Clinical studies help researchers find out whether a promising treatment is safe and effective for people. They also tell scientists which treatments are more effective than others.
Coccyx the last bone of the spine; the "tailbone."
CoEnzyme Q1O Ubiquinone, a vitamin helpful in enhancing heart health. Also known as vitamin Q.
Cold Characterized by aversion to cold, desire for heat, hypoactivity, desquamation, lack of thirst, loose stool, pallor, lethargy, dullness, somnolence, weakness, profuse clear urine, thin odorless discharges.
Cold Conditions Concept In Traditional Chinese Medicine Associated With Chills, Poor Circulation, Thirst For Hot Drinks, Feeling Cold, Fatigue, Sharp Pain, Frequent Urination, Or Yang (Q.V.) Deficiency.
Colic acute but intermittent abdominal pain that gradually increases then decreases. Spasmodic Pain Affecting Smooth Muscle, Such As The Intestines, Gallbladder, Or Urinary Tract.
Collapsed A subtype of the Five-Phase types corresponding to Yin categories of attrition and dissipation of Qi. When a Phase is collapsed, the Organ Net-work or individual associated with that Phase shows signs of weakness, vulnerability, and passivity.
Colon Hydrotherapy A modern, high-tech modality involving the gentle insertion into the rectum of a speculum that carries water in and waste out. The system is entirely enclosed.
Concussion condition resulting from a violent shock or blow.
Conjunctivitis inflammation of the conjunctiva, the inner lining of the eyelids; "pink eye."
Consolidate Condense, tone, astringe: to consolidate is to counter the weakening of body functions or the dissipation of body substances by gathering, densifying, and astringing Qi, Moisture, and Blood. Herbs and herbal formulas that consolidate aid the body in concentrating and retaining substances and tightening tissue. In the body, consolidation is exemplified by the Kidney Network, whose function is to receive, concentrate, and store Essence.
Constipation abnormally infrequent or difficult bowel movements.
Constitutional treatment based on the totality of a person’s symptoms, including medical history, genetic makeup, physical, emotional, and mental symptoms.
Context The background or environment in which a particular event or phenomenon occurs. In Chinese medicine all considerations are contextual in the sense that no specific symptom, sign, or complaint can be interpreted correctly without reference to the total configuration, that is, all the manifestations of the organism that are accessible to observation or intuition.
Core The deepest layer of tissue and function of the organism, expressed by the interaction and integration of the Heart (Shen) and Kidney (Jing).
Correspondence Thinking A logical system of describing reality in which all phenomena are interrelated by association with a set of categories. In Chinese thought these categories are generated by Yin-Yang and Five-Phase theories. All events can be described according to the interaction of these primary variables. Entities and processes that can be similarly described are said not only to be related, but, in a profound sense, to influence one another. Paul Unschuld defines Chinese traditional medicine as the "medicine of systematic correspondence." It is based on a nonlinear, synchronistic rather than linear, causal method of analysis. This mode of thinking distinguishes Chinese traditional medicine from modern Western medicine.
Coumarin Active Plant Constituent, Generally Smelling Of New Mown Hay, Which Has A Thinning Effect On The Blood.
Cramp painful spasmodic muscular contraction.
Craniosacral Focuses on the eight bones of the cranial vault and their relation with the spine and sacrum. Light touch is used in this therapy.
Croup inflammatory condition of larynx and trachea, usually of chddren, with laryngeal spasm, breathlessness, and difficult, noisy breathing.
Curettage the scraping of tissue from a cavity, such as the uterus.
Cystitis inflammation of the bladder.