A Conversation on Traditional Chinese Medicine
（P = 病人 D = 医生）
（P = patient D = doctor）
医生：你好，史密斯先生。今天感觉如何？
D：Hello, Mr. Smith. How are you felling today?
病人：好多了。谢谢！今天我可以坐直了。针灸的确很棒。
P： Much better, thank you! I can sit straight today. The acupuncture is really great.
医生：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。
D：Yes, Chinese Traditional Medicine （TCM）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.
病人：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？
P：All the same, many of my colleagues feel much puzzled about TCM. Would you please tell me more about it？
医生：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。
D：Sure. According to TCM theory, the occurrence of diseases is the incoordination between Yin and Yang and the treatment of diseases is the reestablishement of the equilibrium between them.
病人：嗯，什么是阴阳？
P：Oh, what's Yin and Yang？
医生：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。
D：They are the two concepts from ancient Chinese philosophy and they represent the two contradictories in everything. In TCM 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.
病人：那么你们中国医生是怎样用这一理论来给病人治病的呢？
P：Then how do you Chinese doctors treat your patients by using this theory?
医生：大体说来，中医有两种治疗方式：药物治疗和非药物治疗。
D：Roughly speaking, there are two common ways of TCM curing diseases: drug therapy and non-drug therapy.
病人：真有趣。你们通常都用什么药？
P：That's very interesting. What drugs do you often apply?
医生：至于药物治疗, 中医常用草药，矿物质，动物药等。
D：As for drug therapy, traditional medicines are used such as herbs, mineral, animals, etc.
病人：那非药物治疗呢？
P：And how about non-drug therapy?
医生：非药物治疗包括针灸，按摩，拔火罐等。
D：As for non-drug therapy, there are acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, cupping.
病人：关于针灸和按摩，我略知一二。拔火罐是怎么回事？
P：I know a little about acupuncture and massage. What's cupping？
医生：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。
D：It is a congeted 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.
病人：有效吗？
P：Is it effective？
医生：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痛症。
D：Just as effective as acupuncture which we are using to treat you. But cupping therapy is specially good for pains.
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