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Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine takes a more energetic approach to pathologies and health care. While no one therapy is complete in its self, Acupuncture has an ability to treat on a more holistic level. The basic art of acupuncture is simple; it is the application of needles and/or moxibustion to balance excess or deficient energies (pathologies in Western Medicine) in the body.
All conditions in the body can be considered either excess or deficient. The balance of the body in Allopathy is known as homeostasis. In Acupuncture, homeostasis is the center pillar from which all understanding and diagnosis is made. An Acupuncturist needs to define whether a pathology is Yin/Yang, Deficient/Excess, Cold/Hot, and Interior/Exterior. These are known as the Eight Principles of Diagnosis or Ba Kang in Chinese. All conditions of ill health are defined by these basic definitions.
Yin and Yang are the primary clinical representations from which all other principles are divided. Yin involves all deficient, cold and interior conditions. Yang involves all excess, hot and exterior symptoms. Examples of Yang symptoms include symptoms of fever, inflammation, and hyperactivity. Examples of Yin symptoms include chronic pain with no inflammation, paleness, and a lack of activity. Few pathologies are pure Yin or pure Yang, most conditions have an element of both. Remember that all pathologies are considered imbalances in Acupuncture and it is understood that all conditions are evolving and changing.
From Yin and Yang the principle of Excess and Deficient becomes very important and essential to treatment. All conditions are divided into Excess or Deficient. In Acupuncture, we try to treat the deficiency first, as it is easier to stimulate energy than to sedate energy. Literally, the Acupuncturist will help to transfer energy from the excess channels to the deficient channels. It can be very difficult and dangerous in Acupuncture to diffuse energy from excess, as the energy must go somewhere.
Qi (energy) is constantly circulating in the body, and in a healthy body the Jing Qi (meridian energy) stays fairly balanced through the twelve channels. This Jing Qi essentially comes from three places: food or Ku Qi; air or Zong Qi; and kidney or Jeng Qi. Yuan Qi is the basic energy that a person is born with, and Xian Tian Qi is the genetic energy or predisposition of a person. The Yuan Qi and the Xian Tian Qi feed the Jeng Qi. Simply put, we are born with genetic predispositions (Xian Tian Qi, Yuan Qi), while the food we eat (Ku Qi) and the air we breathe help to determine our health. Ku Qi and Zong Qi help to strengthen the persons basic Qi, and Ku Qi and Zong Qi help to strengthen our immune health, which is also known as Wei Qi (defensive energy that travels the meridians). We are born with excess amounts of energy and with age the energy becomes more and more deficient.
Acupuncture is the art of applying thin needles below the dermis of the skin to help balance Qi. Some needles are applied superficially and some deeply. Needles are never placed into any dangerous structure. The depth of needling is part of the art of acupuncture as Qi Bo states in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine. Boston: Shambhala, 1995, pg 186.:
when needling the bone level, take care not to injure the tendon level. When needling the tendon level, do not injure the muscles. When needling the muscles, do not injure the channels and vessels. When needling the channels, do not injure the skin. When needling the skin, do not injure the flesh or muscles. When needling the muscles, do not injure the tendons. When needling the tendons, do not injure the bones.
Although needling can be painful, especially to those afraid of the needle, depth is an important consideration in the treatment of pathologies. Qi Bo also states in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine. Boston: Shambhala, 1995, pg 184.
In disease one must differentiate between the external and the internal location of the pathogen. In acupuncture there are differentiations of deep or shallow insertion. If the illness is on the biao, or external, level, one should insert superficially; if on the internal level, one should insert more deeply. The location of the illness must be reached; but it is important not to insert too deeply so as to not injure the five zang organs (heart, lungs, spleen, liver and kidney). Inserting too shallowly, however, will not allow the physician to reach the area of illness, and the Qi and blood can be disrupted, which allows an opportunity for pathogens to enter. Acupuncture performed without a guiding principle can be dangerous or damaging.
The philosophies of how Acupuncture actually works are many. There are scientific views and esoteric views. Acupuncture is recognized worldwide for its ability to treat many conditions. The World Health Organization even has a list of conditions it feels acupuncture can treat:
The science of this medicine seems very weak but the history is strong. Acupuncture enjoys a rich history of appreciation and acceptance as a medical tool.
Some people believe Acupuncture has a more esoteric definition, in which spirits reside in the over 360 points, and if the wrong spirit resides in a particular point this causes imbalance which leads to pathology. Other spiritualists believe that acupuncture points represent a universal "energy receptacle" where blockages in a point lead to lack of universal energy, thus creating pathology. In the classic Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture text, the Huangdi Nei Jing, written during the third millennium BC, there is a strong connection between Chinese Medicine and Astrology, the study of the stars in relation to life. This suggests a strong spiritual component to Acupuncture.
Modern science has its own views, although no conclusive evidence exists. There tend to be seven different objective effects of Acupuncture. The first is the analgesic effect and involves the gate pain theory. Which also includes an enkephalon (natural pain killer) connection. Secondly, a sedation effect has been noted. Third, there is a homeostatic effect. Different points seem to help balance the autonomic nervous system (our regulating nervous system). The fourth effect is immune enhancing. Especially noted is the increase in leukocytosis (a transient increase in white blood cells), antibodies, and immunoglobulins. The fifth effect involves an anti-inflammatory response. Histamine causes an extensive inflammatory response, and the application of acupuncture tends to decrease the histamine response, decreasing the symptoms. The sixth effect involves motor nerve firing. Acupuncture seems to have an effect that helps increase motor nerve firing to any given muscle.
Some scientists claim that Acupuncture has a placebo effect. This has been hard to prove or disprove. Acupuncture surely has a cellular effect. What is important to remember is that if applied properly Acupuncture has no lasting side effects. It is said that a needle will only balance, which is the goal of life.
The electro-conductivity and injury simulation theory of Acupuncture deserves special attention. James Oschman and Nora Oschman describe the physiological effects of Acupuncture Needle Insertion:
Acupuncture simulates an injury without actually injuring tissues, and thereby elicits local and systemic wound-healing responses that have a variety of therapeutic effects. The second hypothesis is that the skin surface is not uniformly sensitive to stimulation–certain areas are more responsive than others in terms of their ability to activate particular injury responses, and to spread those responses away from the point of stimulation. There is a biological basis for suggesting that stimulation and injury produce similar responses in cells and tissues, and that any cells or blood vessels that may be penetrated by the needle will quickly seal themselves, so their contents do not leak out (Heilbrunn)
... the epidermis is a battery. Piercing it with an electrical conductor (needle) depolarizes the epidermal membrane, creating a wave of excitation and current flow that spreads over the body surface. Observed regional differences in transepidermal potentials (Barker and colleagues) support the concept that some regions on the skin surface are more responsive to stimulation than others. Regional potential differences are the likely source of the currents that are driven through "ion pumping cords." These devices therefore spread the area of activation from a specific point to a larger area.
... Cytoskeletons of epidermal, vascular, connective tissue, and nerve cells, together with the extracellular matrix, form an electromechanical semiconductor continuum (referred to as "the living matrix") that can generate and communicate coherent vibratory signals throughout the body (Pienta and Coffey; Frohlich, Oschman).