About Me
My name is Dr Julie Wee. I am a qualified and registered Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner. I specialise in Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM); the medicine of imperial China from the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).
CCM differs to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in many ways but the most fundamental difference is perhaps CCM has more of a systematic approach to disease diagnosis and treatment and emphasizes the importance of pattern differentiation than TCM. I go into further details in this in the page below.
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The CCM approach is to always treat the patient in the context of the disease as opposed to treating the disease itself. This is a complex and effective treatment approach as it recognizes the patient's individual condition. An example of this is in patient's who seek treatment for diabetes. One patient may present with strong thirst, sweat and frequent night time urination where as another can present with no thirst, constipation and headaches. Although they may suffer from the same western medicine diagnosis, from a CCM perspective their disease pattern and presentation is different and therefore require a different treatment strategy.
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As one of few Classical Practitioners in Australia I am passionate about this modality and have devoted many years to studying the literature and working alongside CCM (TEAM) practitioner Damien Bell. I have first hand experience in it's ability to treat a myriad of conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders, arthritis, reproductive problems, hormonal health, allergies, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, stress and other undiagnosed disorders that aren’t widely recognised by Western Medicine. If you're interesting in seeking CCM I look forward to meeting you and working with you to fulfill your healthcare goals.
Education and Certifications
Torrens University Australia
Bach. Health Science Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine.
APHRA & AACMA Registered
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association
Classical Chinese Medicine & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Differentiating between Classical and Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Classical Chinese Medicine
Classical Chinese medicine (CCM) is the foundation in which Chinese medicine was built upon. Originating during imperial China from around the time of the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) it is considered by many as the golden age of Chinese medicine. Later, during the Eastern Han Dynasty between 40 and 200 AD, Zhang Zhongjing, a CCM practitioner, recorded all the clinical experience and data handed down from previous generations and created the Shang Han Za Bing Lun. The Shang Han Za Bing Lun is considered one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world. This text was later edited and separated into the Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) and the Jin Gui Yao Lüe (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet). These two clinical textbooks contain 269 formulas and form the structure in which CCM practitioners base their diagnosis and treatment principles.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In the 1950's, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chairman Mao Zedong announced support of traditional Chinese medicine but aimed to standardize it by integrating it with modern medicine. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) the CCP and the government emphasized modernity, cultural identity and China's social and economic reconstruction and contrasted them to the colonial and feudal past. Chinese physicians trained in Western medicine were required to learn traditional medicine, while traditional healers received training in modern methods. This strategy aimed to integrate modern medical concepts and methods and revitalize aspects of traditional medicine. Therefore, Chinese medicine was re-created in response to Western medicine, hence the development of TCM which is the modality that is practiced by most Chinese medicine clinicians today.
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Why I practice Classical Chinese Medicine
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Through years of studying the CCM text and herbal formula patterns, in addition to working alongside CCM practitioner Damien Bell, I understand the system in which CCM formulas are applied. Compared to TCM, CCM is a very complex modality, which is why all CCM practitioners can practice in TCM but very few TCM practitioners can practice in CCM. Unlike TCM, the CCM system is designed to understand the patient's underlying condition. Similar to western medicine, although less so, TCM can be considered to have a more symptomatic treatment approach.
To better understand how to differentiate the two modalities, take a patient with a main complaint of iron deficiency, for example. A western medicine approach would be to supplement the deficiency with an iron transfusion or supplements whereby the underlying issue is not being addressed. A TCM approach would be similar, but instead, “tonifying blood” herbs are often used. As for CCM, the approach is to understand why the patient has low iron; do they have constipation or impaired digestion, heavy/long menstrual cycles, suffer from multiple bowel movements per day etc. From this the clinician will look at accompanying SSx such as headaches, excessive sweat, muscular cramping, insomnia, anxiety etc. and a disease pattern is identified. Once the disease pattern is identified, the CCM formula is prescribed and the formulas is made to the exact herbs and dosages as outlined in the Shang Han Za Bing Lun. No modifications are made to the formula. The underlying issue will be addressed, and sufficient iron will be absorbed by the body.
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Although both modalities can have beneficial results, I prefer a systematic approach whereby disease patterns can be easily identified, and therefore treated with one of the 262 formulas listed in The Shang Han Za Bing Lun that will match the disease pattern perfectly. This will address the patients' underlying issues and harmony to the body will be restored.
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