What is Acupuncture?

This brief summary of the history of Acupuncture and both the Eastern and Western theories underlying it is an excerpt from the books E.T.P.S. Manual - Natural Health & Natural Health II both by Bruce R. Hocking D.Ac. These books are both available for purchase through our on-line catalogue in the Books: Other Books Section.

History

Classical acupuncture is a vast body of ancient knowledge collected and compiled over many centuries by the Chinese. It is a system for diagnosing and treating disease using fine needles inserted into specific points on the body. Although there exists a book dating back two thousand years in which the complete knowledge of practicing acupuncture is contained, the origins of acupuncture are buried in antiquity.

The basis for a classical understanding of acupuncture's effects is Taoism, an ancient philosophy that has as its first principle the concept of Yin and Yang. Taoists believe that these equal and opposite forces coexist in the universe and must be in balance for harmony to prevail. Illness was thought to result from an imbalance in Yin and Yang in the body. Classical acupuncturists inserted needles into points to either increase or decrease the amount of energy in a given organ system. The objective was to restore the balance of Yin and Yang and thereby restore health.

Since acupuncture is said to influence the entire body, the diagnosis of a disease is often very different from a diagnosis with western medicine. Western medicine often looks for an external cause or agent to explain the disease. Eastern medicine, on the other hand, looks at the body as a whole in which health is considered to be a state of total harmony between the physical, emotional and spiritual states of the individual. In eastern medicine, symptoms like pain are often considered unimportant. Such symptoms are seen as merely part of the disharmony throughout the body.

Acutherapy (needle, electro, or pressure therapy applied to traditional acupuncture points or nerve points) is based on "Chi". "Chi" is an unseen energy force that flows throughout the body in a series of Channels and is considered the vital life force. "Chi" keeps the blood circulating, fights disease, and warms the body.

"Chi" is what separates living creatures from mere objects. This energy must flow through the body uninterrupted and any blockages or disturbances will soon lead to ill health or disease. "Chi" flows throughout the body in a series of 14 Channels, which are linked to all of the internal organs of the body. A Channel is a series of interconnected acupuncture points that influence the same organ. Each Channel is either Yin (female) or Yang(male). All Channels are paired. Each Yin Channel is coupled to a Yang Channel thus making six pairs of coupled or paired Channels. They are in order as follows:

Lung - Large Intestine
Urinary Bladder - Kidneys
Stomach - Spleen
Pericardium - Triple Warmer*
Heart - Small Intestine
Gall Bladder - Liver
Governing Vessel - Conceptual Vessel

* Triple warmer Is not an organ, but relates to the 3 body cavities: chest, abdominal & pelvic

Each traditional acupoint has a specific anatomical location. They are usually located in "cun" or fingers width measurements from an anatomical landmark. Stimulation of acupoints with acupuncture needles, electrical therapy, or acupressure is said to increase or decrease the blood flow (energy) to the related organs. This action is said to restore vitality, reduce pain, and accelerate tissue healing. Each acupoint has a different function and many acupoints can influence problems/disorders far removed from their actual anatomical location. For example: there are acupoints located in the feet that are successfully used to relieve headaches or low back pain. In conclusion, the overall aim of acupuncture or Acutherapy is to restore the balance of energy flow throughout the body by stimulating a series of acupoints relating to the problem.

Combining Eastern & Western Therapies

The major problem for acceptance of Acutherapy in the West has been the lack of a concrete scientific explanation as to why it really works. Western scientists and physicians in the past have experienced a great deal of reluctance accepting the above "Eastern" explanation as to why Acutherapy works Simply put, you cannot measure or document energy flow, therefore it cannot exist. However, recent reviews of scientific literature within current research now provide some insight to the inner mechanisms of Acutherapy. The most viable physiological explanations as to why Acutherapy works seem to be as follows:

Power of Circulation and "Chi"

The Taoists believe that "Chi" is similar to blood (vaso) and bodily fluids. A congestion of "Chi" would be considered similar to a bruise or swollen ankle. In western medicine, such as sports therapy, ice would be applied to the swollen or bruised area, which would help reduce circulation. Helping to reduce the blood flow to the area would contribute to the healing process.

In Eastern Acutherapy, a congestion of "Chi" would be needled using a reducing or sedation method. This would produce the same effect as ice by reducing circulation. To produce a heat effect by increasing circulation, a method of needling, called tonifying would be applied.

In Western physical or sports therapy, heat and ice are constantly used to maintain a healthy body state. Ultrasound (which is similar to heat), electro-acupuncture TENS and ice are common therapeutic approaches to pain control and tissue healing. Therefore, it is not a stretch to see a common element between the ancient Chinese Acutherapy and today's Western approach to pain management.

Endorphins - Nature's Pain Relievers

It has now been well documented that classical acupuncture points have a very close nerve correlation to the body. It has been established that motor and trigger points (points within muscles that have large bundles of nerve endings close to the surface of the skin have a very close correlation to known acupuncture points. It is said that all motor points are acupuncture points, and close to 70-75% of trigger points correlate to classical acupuncture points.

It is also well known that acupuncture trigger, and motor points display a lower electrical resistance in relation to their surrounding skin. Therefore, all these therapeutic points may be electrically detected on the skin's surface with a great deal of accuracy using electrical point finders that measure variances in skin resistance.

When one examines the acupuncture "channels" or "meridians" and compares them to nerve pathways - called dermatomes - there is obviously a very high correlation. For example, the spinal cord is identical to the Governing Vessel Channel (see page XIX). All smaller nerve pathways start from the spine and travel outward, often down the arms and legs. Close examination of an acupuncture chart also shows channels starting from the neck and lower back and traveling down the arms and legs. This is quite an astounding comparison since nerves were not formally "discovered" or traced until thousands of years after acupuncture meridians had been used.

In the mid 1970s, it was scientifically discovered that naturally occurring pain relieving opiates, called endorphins, could be released with acupuncture needling and electro-acupuncture stimulation of specific low frequency. These natural pain relievers circulate through out the body and assist in relieving pain and speeding up the healing process. This "endorphin" discovery has greatly increased the acceptance of Acutherapy in the West by providing a scientific model as to why and how it actually works for pain relief.

The key to releasing these potent pain relievers is a therapeutic response called "De Chi". For effective results, both Eastern Acupuncture needling and Western Acutherapy must be applied with skilled technique and enough intensity (amplitude) to achieve the therapeutic response called De Chi. De Chi directly translates into the Chinese phrase "oh yes". Therapeutically, it is a noxious, aching or biting sensation that is sometimes uncomfortable for patients. Electrical stimulation within the correct frequency range producing De Chi is said to evoke the production of endorphin and their subsequent healing effect.

When diagnosing with classical acupuncture, a skilled therapist in eastern medicine will examine the tongue and pulse, to look for weaknesses or excesses in one or more organs. Once the imbalance is determined, a series of acupoints relating to the imbalance would be treated to restore health and well being. As you can see, classical acupuncture is a complicated system of diagnosis and treatment. Due to the vast differences in the concepts of disease between the two medical systems it may initially be confusing to people trained in western medicine.

Although a complete scientific explanation for classical acutherapy has yet to be established, (...) [many] disorders have historically responded favourably to Acutherapy stimulation, and this approach should be investigated by both therapist and patient.

Eastern acutherapy has been employed for many centuries and has an impressive record with a wide variety of non-painful disorders, (...)

Although not well understood in the west, eastern acutherapy does have a place in conventional medicine due to its success with many disorders which respond poorly to drugs and surgery. This success, coupled with an almost complete lack of adverse side effects and complications resulting from its use, suggests acutherapy will play a wider role in the west for many (...) conditions (...). This, along with acutherapy's strong results for treating a wide variety of painful soft tissue disorders, is an indication that acutherapy is a desirable treatment approach for any suffering patient. It's use will become more widespread in the years to come as the limitations of western medicine become more apparent to chronic pain sufferers.