Acupuncture TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine degree courses
Australia offers amongst the best places for study at university. A bachelor university degree in Acupuncture or Traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM ) prepares a graduate for employment opportunities in the alternative medicine health care industry and allowing you to practice as an Australian certified Acupuncturist, Herbalist or Chinese Naturopath. TCM is a manifestation of Daoist philosophy, a unique Chinese way of thinking that encompasses practical problem solving philosophy, science, art and metaphysics. Unlike modern medicine, TCM is wholistic in nature. As well, herbs and techniques used are been tested over 2,000 years at the very least. Compare this to modern drugs, the testing time is a mere 10 years ( US FDA regulations) before a new drug Eg Viagra or Prozac is released top the public. As recent as 1830′s, blood letting, a barbaric and largely ineffective treatment was still widely practised in Europe. An example of how to cure chronic health issues using TCM principles is found here.
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Click on Australian Universities in the list below, visit faculty pages to see courses on offer :
Further accreditation from ANTA or TCMA or AACMA etc may be necessary to worked as a licensed TCM practitioner in Australia. Unlike western medicine, Chinese medicine addresses health from a prevention and wellness strategy perspective. Even when the disease has advanced beyond prevention to symptom phase, TCM emphasizes food as the main “medicine ” to deal directly with the causes of diseases and maladies. Modern medicine (western) tends to treat symptoms instead of causes, which may explain why modern medicine is often not very successful in dealing with chronic illnesses. In the old days in China, rich families would pay a doctor to keep the family healthy and STOP paying the doctor should anyone fall ill. Preventative measures include regular check ups, recommendations to take herbs, acupuncture to unblock stagnant Qi (energy) flow along the meridians, changes to diet and Qigong energetics practice. TCM can also be applied to treat symptoms of disease in similar manner. Chinese Medicine’s pulse diagnosis is unique in that there are some 22 qualities to a pulse, and each quality pertains to specific condition of a specific organ .
Career Opportunities
As much of the original text is recorded in Chinese, it is useful to have basic understanding and command of written / spoken Mandarin. Basic Mandarin is also taught as part of many TCM courses as co-requisite courses. Prospective students are advised that careers in TCM in roles such as Herbalist, Acupuncturist or TCM doctor are limited at the present moment. This may be different in the future, but at the present moment, it is relatively difficult for graduates to find employment solely as a TCM doctor in the Australia. Currently, many practitioners combine their TCM training and practice with massage work, physiotherapy or Chiropractics , and even conventional medicine.
The 4 main branches of TCM are : Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Tuina massage & Qigong energy practice.
Typical university admission requirements for Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine degree :
Biology and/or Chemistry, basic Mandarin proficiency desirable
New South Wales : NSW
- Traditional Chinese medicine degree course at University of Technology, Sydney : UTS
- Master of Herbal Medicine degree courses at University of Sydney
- Bachelor of Health Science, Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine at University of Western Sydney : UWS
Victoria : VIC
- Chinese Medicine and Human Biology course at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology : RMIT
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Queensland : QLD
Tasmania : TAS
South Australia : SA|
Northern Territory : NT
Australian Capital Territory : ACT
