What is Acupuncture?

            Acupuncture is a part of a system of medicine referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  TCM is a sophisticated comprehensive system of internal medicine that has at its foundation some truly profound theories of illness and health.  Its effectiveness has been validated through thousands of years of empirical results.
            TCM includes the use of herbs, acupuncture, diet, massage, and specific types of exercises.  The focus of each of these modalities is to help maintain or promote a more healthy balance in the body.  In Chinese medicine health is seen as the equivalent of proper balance.  When balance is not maintained, symptoms of illness become apparent.  These symptoms may be manifested on either the physical, emotional, or mental/spiritual levels.
            We know our bodies are comprised of many systems (lymphatic, circulatory, nervous, endocrine, etc.).  These systems work together, with various checks and balances to maintain a proper state of dynamic equilibrium (balance).  When these checks and balances are working properly, we enjoy good health.  However, there are many factors which may interfere with this process.  For example:  stress, diet, physical trauma, emotional trauma, a sedentary lifestyle, use of drugs, genetic predisposition: all can influence our health.  The human organism has an amazing capacity to compensate for these influences and maintain a healthy state.  But sometimes the checks and balances break down and the system as a whole is thrown out of balance.
            An acupuncturist, when diagnosing a patient, will try to determine how the patient is out of balance.  There are a variety of diagnostic methods that are used to do this.  Where a person has studied, who they have studied with and which of the many styles of acupuncture they have studied would all influence the diagnosis and method of treatment.  But in all cases, emphasis is placed on the unique characteristics of the individual patient.  The whole patient - that is, everything that makes them unique - is considered
            The diagnosis might include asking about the symptoms of the main complaint, palpating the radial pulse, palpating the abdomen and back, looking at the shape and color of the tongue, observing the skin, hair, nails, eyes, face, posture, and body type, asking questions about the quality of sleep, digestion, elimination, and energy.  These characteristics are then used as “clues” which, when considered together, help identify a “pattern of disharmony”.
            The value of this type of diagnosis is twofold.  It allows the doctor to make sense out of what might otherwise be viewed as a confusing array of unrelated complaints.  It also changes the entire focus of the doctor doing the diagnosis.  Instead of focusing on the symptoms and whether they, in some or in part, constitute a western disease category, the focus is on identifying the disharmony that has generated the symptoms.
            As an example to clarify these points:  In western medicine asthma is defined as “shortness of breath and wheezing caused by a spasm of the bronchial tubes or by swelling of their mucus membranes.” (Tabor’s Medical Dictionary).  Anyone presenting with these symptoms would be considered an “asthmatic”.
            In TCM, these same symptoms are seen as potentially arising from at least five different underlying causes.  An imbalance of the relationships between the lungs and liver, lungs and spleen, lungs and kidneys, or a combination thereof may each generate the symptoms of asthma.  To determine which relationship is implicated would require careful analysis of the other symptoms and characteristics of the individual involved.
            It is important to note that people with asthma are all treated pretty much the same way with western medicine (bronchodilators and an anti-inflammatory).  However, with acupuncture, the treatment might vary drastically depending on the individual’s specific diagnosis (sedating the liver or strengthening the kidneys or resolving phlegm, as well as strengthening the lungs).  In this example western medicine is treating the symptoms while the acupuncturist is correcting an imbalance that has given rise to the symptoms.  This is a profound difference in methods.            
            The next question that needs to be addressed is how we go about re-establishing balance in the body.  To answer this question, we have to recognize the fact that for thousands of years the Chinese culture has taken for granted the existence of an energetic system that is integral to the physical body.  This energetic system is considered to perhaps be more fundamental to the proper functioning of the body than of the other systems we readily recognize here in our culture.
            The energy of this system, called chi, is believed to circulate in a very specific manner through meridians or channels, each of which connects to different external and internal parts of the body.  Along these channels, on the exterior of the body, are specific acupuncture “points” that are stimulated using very thin fine needles.  Acupuncture points have been shown to have certain electrical properties and can be located with an electronic device.  They have also, in many cases, been shown to have specific physiological effects on the body when stimulated in certain ways.  In any case, the acupuncturist stimulates the appropriate points to manipulate this energetic system and by doing so re-establishes proper balance.
            Acupuncture treatment is really focused on helping the body become stronger and more healthy.  As a result, there are a wide range of health problems that can be effectively treated.  The World Health Organization, a branch of the United Nations, has recognized acupuncture as an effective treatment for dozens of medical conditions.  The most common problems seem to involve pain, such as headaches, neck and back pain, sciatica, or neuralgias.  But there are many other organic (relating to the organs) problems that also respond very well to acupuncture: asthma, colitis, digestive problems, PMS, hormonal imbalance,  urogenital problems,  circulatory problems, depression, anxiety, drug addiction, chronic fatigue, and a weak immune system would be just a few examples.