What is Acupuncture ?
Acupuncture is a medical therapy that originated more than 3000 years ago in China. It is based on the Chinese philosophy that life energy (Chi [pronounced "chee"] in Chinese, or
Ki ["key"] in Japanese) flows throughout the body in energy channels called meridians. You can think of the meridians as rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the
tissues. An obstruction in these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up, causing an imbalance in the body and leading to an unhealthy physical or mental state. When Ki flows
properly through the meridians, the body is in a balanced healthy state.
When an obstruction in one of the meridians interferes with the flow of Ki, physical or mental illness results. Needling of the acupuncture points can unblock the obstructions at the
dams and reestablish the balanced flow of energy through the meridians, allowing the body to return to a normal, healthy condition.
The scientific explanation for the success of acupuncture is that the insertion of needles stimulates the body to release chemicals that can change the individual's perception of the
pain or trigger the body to release other chemicals or hormones that help the body regulate and heal itself.
Acupuncture is one of many therapies an Oriental Medicine (OM) practitioner may use to help restore the body to health. An OM diagnosis involves understanding the patient's
individual pattern of disharmony and symptoms, determining which meridians are out of balance, and then deciding upon the appropriate therapies in order to return the body to
harmony.
Acupuncture is a medical therapy that originated more than 3000 years ago in China. It is based on the Chinese philosophy that life energy (Chi [pronounced "chee"] in Chinese, or
Ki ["key"] in Japanese) flows throughout the body in energy channels called meridians. You can think of the meridians as rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the
tissues. An obstruction in these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up, causing an imbalance in the body and leading to an unhealthy physical or mental state. When Ki flows
properly through the meridians, the body is in a balanced healthy state.
When an obstruction in one of the meridians interferes with the flow of Ki, physical or mental illness results. Needling of the acupuncture points can unblock the obstructions at the
dams and reestablish the balanced flow of energy through the meridians, allowing the body to return to a normal, healthy condition.
The scientific explanation for the success of acupuncture is that the insertion of needles stimulates the body to release chemicals that can change the individual's perception of the
pain or trigger the body to release other chemicals or hormones that help the body regulate and heal itself.
Acupuncture is one of many therapies an Oriental Medicine (OM) practitioner may use to help restore the body to health. An OM diagnosis involves understanding the patient's
individual pattern of disharmony and symptoms, determining which meridians are out of balance, and then deciding upon the appropriate therapies in order to return the body to
harmony.
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Magnet Cupping
TENS unit
Treatment Room #2
Treatment Room #1
Treatment Room #3
Waiting Room
Clinic Entrance Sign
Acupuncture Educational Literature
Preventive Medicine ?
Acupuncture is one of the most popular preventive medicines in Asia. In Japan and China, people see acupuncturists for regular health maintenance, to help
prevent illness, and to stay mentally balanced and think clearly. People in Asia know that major illnesses do not show up suddenly one morning; incurable
illness are an accumulation of years of the wrong diet, excess daily stress, too little exercise, too little water, daily smoking, daily drinking of alcohol, and so on.
Knowing this, people in Asia go to acupuncturists and herbalists to achieve physical and mental balance so that they do not reach the point of no return.
Consider the well balanced scales of justice associated with the zodiac sign Libra. This type of balance for your body and mind is the ultimate goal of
acupuncture. You can bounce back easily if you are slightly off balance, but the further you go from the point of balance, the harder it is to bounce back. When it
becomes too hard to bounce back, you have reached the point of no return: a terminal illness that even acupuncture or herbal medicine cannot cure. Though
acupuncture and herbal medicine are not as widely accepted in Western cultures, I believe that daily, weekly, or even monthly maintenance is the key to
maintaining your physical and mental health.
Think about the care you offer to a new car. It may run well with very little maintenance, but you take it to a service station for regular oil changes and tune-ups.
New cars run very well with very little maintenance, and people pay careful attention to providing that maintenance for their cars. After 80,000 miles or so, the car
starts to require more maintenance to achieve the same performance.
The human body similarly needs maintenance, and more of it as we age. Children bounce back easily: they may have a high fever one evening but be ready to
go out and play the next morning. Adults may take more time to recover from illnesses that they barely noticed when they were younger. I suggest that patients
who are between the ages of 45 and 55 start paying more careful attention to their bodies. Keep in mind that while you can have medical procedures to repair
parts of your body that start to fail over time, you cannot replace your body in the same way that you can buy a new car when the old one stops running.
Work to achieve balance in your hormone levels, structure, mental health, immune system, and all the systems of your body. The more balanced you are, the
healthier you will feel!
prevent illness, and to stay mentally balanced and think clearly. People in Asia know that major illnesses do not show up suddenly one morning; incurable
illness are an accumulation of years of the wrong diet, excess daily stress, too little exercise, too little water, daily smoking, daily drinking of alcohol, and so on.
Knowing this, people in Asia go to acupuncturists and herbalists to achieve physical and mental balance so that they do not reach the point of no return.
Consider the well balanced scales of justice associated with the zodiac sign Libra. This type of balance for your body and mind is the ultimate goal of
acupuncture. You can bounce back easily if you are slightly off balance, but the further you go from the point of balance, the harder it is to bounce back. When it
becomes too hard to bounce back, you have reached the point of no return: a terminal illness that even acupuncture or herbal medicine cannot cure. Though
acupuncture and herbal medicine are not as widely accepted in Western cultures, I believe that daily, weekly, or even monthly maintenance is the key to
maintaining your physical and mental health.
Think about the care you offer to a new car. It may run well with very little maintenance, but you take it to a service station for regular oil changes and tune-ups.
New cars run very well with very little maintenance, and people pay careful attention to providing that maintenance for their cars. After 80,000 miles or so, the car
starts to require more maintenance to achieve the same performance.
The human body similarly needs maintenance, and more of it as we age. Children bounce back easily: they may have a high fever one evening but be ready to
go out and play the next morning. Adults may take more time to recover from illnesses that they barely noticed when they were younger. I suggest that patients
who are between the ages of 45 and 55 start paying more careful attention to their bodies. Keep in mind that while you can have medical procedures to repair
parts of your body that start to fail over time, you cannot replace your body in the same way that you can buy a new car when the old one stops running.
Work to achieve balance in your hormone levels, structure, mental health, immune system, and all the systems of your body. The more balanced you are, the
healthier you will feel!
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Traditional acupuncture involves inserting thin stainless-steel disposable needles into points on the surface of the skin, causing an exchange of electrons
within the body, similar to the flow of electricity. This transfer sets in motion an elegant interplay of the body's own energies.
According to Western scientific research, acupuncture's effects on the body cn be explained by a number of theories. Robert Becker is a researcher in
electrophysiology, the study of the relationship of electrical fields to the human body. He was one of the first to use microcurrents to help heal bone fractures.
Becker theorized that acupuncture meridians were paths of electrical energy running throughout the body. For electrical energy to flow smoothly, however, there
would have to be "amplifiers" along the lines of current.
Another theory addresses the neurological effects of acupuncture. Neural theory holds that inserting needles at acupuncture points stimulates the nervous
system, releasing chemicals to either alleriate pain or affect the body's internal regulation system. Acupuncture needles also stimulate specific nerve fibers to
carry electrical impulses back to the brain, increasing beta-endorphin concentrations. Higher beta-endorphin concentrations reduce the sympathetic "fight or
flight" response in the body and produce a feeling of relaxation and euphoria similar to runner's high. This is one of the reasons people often feel more relaxed
after an acupuncture treatment.
Different acupuncture points have different effects. Some will decrease the sympathetic nervous system response which becomes important for women who
are trying to conceive and are stressed about it. Some points actually cause changes within the cells. Some effect alterations in the brain's chemicals; others
can effect chemical changes within the uterine lining. Some improve circulation, and others have mainly local effects.
Points work via feedback. The body is a system of reactions and feedback: something happens with a nerve, which causes something to happen in the brain,
which signals neurochemical changes, hormone level changes, or a million other responses. It is like a chain reaction - for example, when you stimulate a
specific acupuncture point, it invigorate the blood, sending the whole body a message specific to that point and producing blood-thinning chemical reactions.
When you stimulate different combinations of points, you can create even greater results and see those results more quickly. But each specific point, as well as
each meridian, has a different function, and the art is in orchestrating a combination that achieves the desired effect.
(Randine Lewis, Ph.D., The Infertility Cure, chapter 7, page 102-103, published in January 2004)
Would you like to learn more about the history of acupuncture - click here !
within the body, similar to the flow of electricity. This transfer sets in motion an elegant interplay of the body's own energies.
According to Western scientific research, acupuncture's effects on the body cn be explained by a number of theories. Robert Becker is a researcher in
electrophysiology, the study of the relationship of electrical fields to the human body. He was one of the first to use microcurrents to help heal bone fractures.
Becker theorized that acupuncture meridians were paths of electrical energy running throughout the body. For electrical energy to flow smoothly, however, there
would have to be "amplifiers" along the lines of current.
Another theory addresses the neurological effects of acupuncture. Neural theory holds that inserting needles at acupuncture points stimulates the nervous
system, releasing chemicals to either alleriate pain or affect the body's internal regulation system. Acupuncture needles also stimulate specific nerve fibers to
carry electrical impulses back to the brain, increasing beta-endorphin concentrations. Higher beta-endorphin concentrations reduce the sympathetic "fight or
flight" response in the body and produce a feeling of relaxation and euphoria similar to runner's high. This is one of the reasons people often feel more relaxed
after an acupuncture treatment.
Different acupuncture points have different effects. Some will decrease the sympathetic nervous system response which becomes important for women who
are trying to conceive and are stressed about it. Some points actually cause changes within the cells. Some effect alterations in the brain's chemicals; others
can effect chemical changes within the uterine lining. Some improve circulation, and others have mainly local effects.
Points work via feedback. The body is a system of reactions and feedback: something happens with a nerve, which causes something to happen in the brain,
which signals neurochemical changes, hormone level changes, or a million other responses. It is like a chain reaction - for example, when you stimulate a
specific acupuncture point, it invigorate the blood, sending the whole body a message specific to that point and producing blood-thinning chemical reactions.
When you stimulate different combinations of points, you can create even greater results and see those results more quickly. But each specific point, as well as
each meridian, has a different function, and the art is in orchestrating a combination that achieves the desired effect.
(Randine Lewis, Ph.D., The Infertility Cure, chapter 7, page 102-103, published in January 2004)
Would you like to learn more about the history of acupuncture - click here !
Theory, Point selection and combination
The photos below show the Japanese Acupuncture Clinic and some of the equipments I frequently use at the clinic.