A：Hello，how are you feeling today？
B：Much better，thank you！I can sit straight today。The acupuncture is really great。
A：Yes，Chinese traditional medicine has a history of more than 5，000 years。It has a complete theory about the occurrence，development and treatment of diseases。Acupuncture is only one of the most effective ways to treat diseases such as your pleurapophysis。
B：All the same，many of my colleagues feel much puzzled about Chinese traditional medicine。Would you please tell me more about it？
A：Sure。According to Chinese traditional medicine theory，the occurrence of diseases is the incoordination between Yin and Yang and the treatment of diseases is the reestablishment of the equilibrium between them。
B：Oh，what's Yin and Yang？
A：They are the two concepts from ancient Chinese philosophy and they represent the two contradictories in everything。In Chinese traditional medicine theory，Yin and Yang are used to explain physiological and pathological phenomena of the body。They are also the principles of diagnosing and treating diseases。
B：Then how do you Chinese doctors treat your patients by using this theory？
A：Roughly speaking，there are two common ways of Chinese traditional medicine curing diseases：drug therapy and non drug therapy。
B：That's very interesting。What drugs do you often apply？
A：As for drug therapy，traditional medicines are used such as herbs，mineral，animals，etc。
B：And how about non-drug therapy？
A：As for non-drug therapy，there are acupuncture and moxibustion，massage，cupping。
B：I know a little about acupuncture and massage。What's cupping？
A：It is a treatment using a vacuum cup sucked firmly on the skin。Usually，the doctor fires an alcohol sponge and puts it inside the cup for a short while to make the cup a vacuum one，then he places the vacuum cup instantly over the selected spot of the skin。
B：Is it effective？
A：Just as effective as acupuncture which we are using to treat you。But cupping therapy is especially good for pains。
B：That's really fantastic。
A：To tell the truth，according to statistics，Chinese traditional medicine is better for the treatment of diseases of viral infections，immune system，cardio-cerebrovascular system and nervous system without causing any side-effects compared with western medicine。
B：Thank you very much！I've got a better understanding of Chinese traditional medicine。
A：你好。今天感觉如何？
B：好多了，谢谢！今天我可以坐直了。针灸的确很棒。
A：不错。中医有五千年的历史，它对疾病的发生、发展和治疗都有着完整的理论体系。针灸只不过是治疗像你的椎骨侧突疾病的一种最有效的方式。
B：尽管如此，我的许多同事对中医还是有些不解。你能否多给我讲点？
A：没问题。根据中医理论，疾病的发生是阴阳失调所致。而疾病的治疗就是阴阳的平衡。
B：嗯，什么是阴阳？
A：它们是中国古代哲学的两个概念并代表一切事物的两个对立面。中医学运用阴阳理论来解释人体的生理和病理现象。同时，阴阳也是诊断和治疗疾病的法则。
B：那么你们中医是怎样用这一理论来给病人治病的呢？
A：大体说来，中医有两种治疗方式：药物治疗和非药物治疗。
B：真有趣。你们通常都用什么药？
A：至于药物治疗，中医常用草药、矿物质、动物药等。
B：那非药物治疗呢？
A：非药物治疗包括针灸、按摩、拔火罐等。
B：关于针灸和按摩，我略知一二。拔火罐是怎么回事？
A：拔火罐就是把一个真空的杯子放在皮肤上引起局部充血的一种治疗方法。通常，医生把一个点燃的酒精棉球放在杯子里一会儿以排出里面的空气使它成为一个真空杯，接着快速地把空杯子放在选定的皮肤上。
B：有效吗？
A：就像我们治疗你的病用的针灸一样有效。但是拔火罐特别适合疼痛症。
B：太绝妙了。
A：实话告诉你，据资料统计，与西医相比，中医更擅长于病毒感染性疾病、免疫系统疾病、心脑血管疾病和神经系统疾病的治疗，而且无任何副作用。
B：非常感谢！我现在对中医的理解要好点了。
Pleurapophysis n。椎骨侧突疾病
Acupuncture n。针灸
Pathological adj。病理的
Cupping n。拔罐
Vacuum adj。真空的
Viral infections n。病毒感染性疾病
Immune system n。免疫系统
Cardio-cerebrovascular system n。心脑血管系统
背景知识——中国传统的五行及中医
The Theory of the Five Elements
The Five Elements are five basic substances of natural phenomenon。These include wood，fire，earth，metal，and water。In accordance with their different properties，functions and forms，Chinese traditional medicine attributes the liver to wood，the heart to fire，the spleen to earth，the lung to metal and the kidney to water。This attribution understands the physiology and pathology of the human body in interrelation with a person and physical nature。The Five Elements are interrelated as follows：wood begets fire，fire begets earth，earth begets metal，metal begets water，and water，in its turn，nourishes wood。In turn，wood subdues earth，earth subdues water，water subdues fire，fire subdues metal，and metal subdues wood。The same applies to the human physiology：the liver（wood）stores blood to nourish the heart（fire）；the heat of the heart（fire）warms the spleen（earth）；the spleen（earth）transforms and distributes food essence to replenish the lung（metal）；the lung（metal）dredges the water passages to help the kidney（water）；and the vital essence of the kidney（water）nourishes the liver（wood）。A traditional doctor thus first seeks to nourish the spleen before curing illness in the lung。
五行学说
五行，即是自然现象中木、火、土、金、水五种基本物质。根据它们不同的性质、功能和形态，传统的中医学里以五脏配五行，肝属于木，心属于火，脾属于土，肺属于金以及肾属于水。这种分类法是结合了人类身体的生理和病理和个体的身体本性特征。五行的相生的关系如下：木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水生木。反过来，五行相克的次序是木克土，土克水，水克火，火克金，金克木。这也同样适用于人体生理功能的内在联系。肝（木）藏血以济心，心（火）之热以温脾，脾（土）化生水谷精微以充肺，肺（金）清肃下行以助肾水，肾（水）之精以养肝。因此传统的中医在治疗肺部疾病之前要先温脾。
A Modern Spin on Chinese Traditional Medicine
Chinese traditional medicine focuses on the symptoms of a disease，tailoring treatments to the patient。But Western medicine focuses on the physiological cause，testing potential drugs in randomized，controlled trials。Pharmaceutical companies are interested in Chinese traditional medicine but take a typically Western approach-trying to identify the active ingredients of traditional herbal treatments。But these mixtures contain many chemicals that govern a myriad of interactions with each other and the body。This is where systems biology steps in。A buzzing field of Western research，systems biology attempts to understand function by studying the interactions between components。Scientists are investigating genes，proteins and metabolites to pinpoint metabolic pathways affected by the Chinese herbs。But merging these different holistic approaches will also entail bridging a cultural gap between East and West。
为传统中药赋予现代特征
传统中医药着眼于病的症状，针对病人的情况提供治疗。但是现代医学着眼于疾病的生理原因，用随机化、有对照的临床试验测试可能的药物。制药商对传统中医药感兴趣，但是它们采取的是典型的西方方法——试图发现传统草药制剂的有效成分。但是这种中药混合物含有许多化学物质，它们之间以及与人体之间有许多相互作用。这就是系统生物学能发挥作用的地方。系统生物学是西方热门的研究领域，它试图通过研究各部分之间的相互作用从而理解功能。科学家正在调查基因、蛋白质和代谢产物，从而找到受中国草药影响的代谢路径。但是融合这些不同的整体方法也需要弥合东西方的文化沟壑。