Understanding Acupuncture

Chinese medicine, which includes acupuncture, is a system of preserving health and curing disease that treats the body as whole. Its goal is to maintain or restore harmony and balance in all parts of the human being and also between the whole human being and the surrounding environment.

Each of Chinese medicine’s healing arts -focusing on acupuncture and herbs and including dietary therapy and exercise – is designed to integrate into daily life. Combined, they offer the opportunity to live in harmony and maintain wholeness. In fact, for all its power to heal, the, Chinese medicine’s focus is on preventive care. In ancient China, doctors were paid only when their patients were healthy.

Chinese medicine’s focus on maintaining wholeness and harmony emerges from the philosophy of the Tao. The guiding principles of the Tao are: Everything in the universe is part of the whole; everything has its opposite; everything is evolving into its opposite; the extremes of one condition are equal to its opposite; all antagonisms are complementary; there is no beginning and no end, yet whatever has a beginning has an end, everything changes, nothing is static or absolute.

This dynamic balance between opposing forces, is the ongoing process of creation and destruction. It is the natural order of the universe and of each person’s inner being.

To Westerners, Yin/Yang is most easily understood as the symbol for equilibrium, but in Chinese philosophy and medicine, it is not symbolic, it is as concrete as flesh and blood. It exists as an entity, a force, a quality, a characteristic. It lives within the body, in the life force, (Qi), and in each Organ System.

Applying this Philosophy to Your Physiology and Anatomy

Chinese medicine not only conceives of wellness and disease differently from Western medicine, it also describes the internal workings of the body in ways that are different. In place of the individual organs or blood vessels and nerves, Chinese medicine identifies the body’s Essential Substances, Organ Systems, and channels. These terms describe the internal workings of the body in ways that are significantly distinct from Western ideas.

Essential Substances are those fluids, essences, and energies that support the organ systems and keep the body in balance. They are identifies as: Qi, the life force, Shen the spirit, Jing the essence that nurtures growth and development, Xue which is often translated as blood, but contains more qualities than blood, and Jin-ye, all the fluids not included in Xue.

Organ Systems, unlike the Western concept of organs, define the central organ plus its interaction with the Essential Substances and channels. For example, there is a Heart System, which is responsible not only for the circulation of what the West calls blood, but acts as the ruler of Xue and is in charge of storing Shen.

Channels, or meridians, are the conduits in the vast aqueduct system that transports the Essential Substances to the Organ Systems.

Causes of Disease in Chinese Medicine

In Chinese Medicine texts, there is no discussion of diseases or disorders as we known them in the West. You don’t catch the flu; you develop a disharmony. That is how your acupuncturist describes what ails you. For example, if you go to your acupuncturist because you have migraines, she may decide to treat you for disharmonies such as heat, dampness, Stagnant Liver Qi, other deficiencies or excesses. The headache is viewed as a symptom, not the underlying disorder, which requires treatment. In Chinese medicine, the diagnosis of a disharmony is highly individualized: Two people with the same Western ailment may not have the same disharmony. A disharmony, unlike a disease is not defined only by its physical manifestations but by also how it influences the harmony of the Essential Substances, Organ systems, and the body as a whole.

The Art of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the art and science of manipulating the flow of Qi and Xue through the body’s channels – the invisible aqueduct system that transports the Essential Substances to the Organ Systems, tissues, and bones. Manipulation of the Qi and Xue is accomplished by the stimulation of specific acupuncture points along the channels where the Essential Substances flow close to the skin’s surface.

Present day practitioners use many different methods for stimulating acupuncture points, including electrostimulation and lasers as well as the traditional fine metal needles. Whatever the technique, acupuncture is relatively painless and often accompanied by feelings of heaviness or warmth and the movement of energy. These sensations occur because acupuncture points are equivalent to valves in an aqueduct system. When the points are stimulated they open a valve, so that excess or stagnant Qi or Xue can disperse. If Qi or Xue are deficient, stimulation of certain points may close a valve, so the Essential Substances can collect as needed. When this is done, the distribution of Essential Substances through out the whole system of channels becomes more evenly balanced, allowing for a smoother flow into all areas of the body.

This adjustment of the body’s Qi and Xue can be used to maintain and restore balance between Yin and Yang, alleviate emotional disorders, protect the Organ Systems, moisten tendons and keep the joints healthy. Acupuncture works on both a physical and energetic level.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) was consolidated after the Chinese revolution to unify ancient practices into one coherent theoretical framework. In TCM, there are 365 basic acupuncture points along twelve primary channels, eight extraordinary channels, and fifteen collaterals. Over the centuries, more than 2,500 points have been identified, but the average practitioner uses about 150.

When the body is in disharmony, points along the channel become tender to the touch, alerting the practitioner to the location of disturbances in the channels and in associated Organ Systems. Some points become particularly tender when disease is present, and they offer vivid diagnostic help.

Acupuncture maintains a balanced flow of Qi and Xue. By using acupuncture for regular tune-ups, you can keep your body and energy in harmony. You may have noticed that emotional changes or disturbances often appear at the first sign of imbalance. These early clues to the onset of disease can be present in the body and can be identified through careful diagnosis before symptoms emerge. Acupuncture can then be used to rebalance the Qi and prevent disharmony from turning into a full-blown illness or disorder.

TCM acupuncture can adjust the flow of Essential Substances so that excesses are dispersed; deficiencies overcome, and balance re-established. This promotes self-healing response by stimulating communication pathways within the body that promote tissue repair and natural pain control.