Simplicity of Acupuncture: When Less Is More
Most people are perplexed when it comes to understanding the principles of Acupuncture and how it works. The overall general consensus it that it can’t hurt, it can only help. This ancient art of healing seems to be a mystery to many. Medicine has become so advanced, so complex, that we may have lost the simplicity of natural healing.
Acupuncture is based on the Chinese saying: "Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong" which means "free flow: no pain, no free flow: pain." The simplicity of this phrase captures the essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Acupuncture has been in existence for more than two millennia. In an era prior to advanced imaging, such as X-Ray, MRI, and CT Scans and without advanced blood tests and medical tools, healers had to rely on what they had, their bodies. You may have heard that those who lose their sight develop a heightened sense of hearing. The same principle applies here. Without the technology we have today the ancient Chinese learned to become masters at things such as taking the pulse and feeling the changes in the quality of the pulse as one falls ill. The same applies to looking at changes in tongue color and coating as well as changes in or on the body. It was not long before they started documenting these changes and began finding common patterns.
It was also noticed that energy flows through the body in a certain order through meridians that connect to each organ to complete a circuit so that they may work as a system. There are points along these meridians where vital energy or “Qi” accumulates and occasionally gets “stuck”. Acupuncture reestablishes the flow through these meridians so that the body may heal itself. We sometimes underestimate our own body’s amazing healing abilities. We have been given an exceptional body that is designed to heal itself by regenerating damaged cells, producing an inflammatory response, releasing white blood cells through the lymphatic system in the presence of an infection, etc. Our bodies are truly amazing. The only problem, as I mentioned before, is that it occasionally gets “stuck”. Acupuncture is often the best way to restore the body’s natural healing process.
It is time to begin our healing journeys with least invasive and more simple approaches first and leave the more invasive techniques for when it is absolutely necessary. So next time you find yourself in pain due to your last difficult stroke on the golf course or you are just not feeling well, rule out any severe conditions with your primary care physician and then call your Acupuncturist.
Christina Moores, MS, L.Ac.