What the heck is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is old. I mean really really old, ancient in fact. Archaeological evidence dated to the Xia dynasty (21st – 16th century B.C) suggests its practice 4000 years ago in China, thus potentially pre-dating the formal use of herbs in medicine.
Admittedly, the use of acupuncture has waxed and waned over the course of millennia, yet it has persisted and endures as a recognised healing technique, even in the face of Western Sciences reserved judgment. Why is this? The machinations of Western Science demand empirical data and proven causes and effects of treatments. Yet if we examine the mechanics of acupuncture the logic surrounding its application becomes clear.
How acupuncture works
Needles finer than a sewing pin are inserted approximately 1 cm into the skin at predetermined points around the body. By applying these needles, one stimulates the nerves under the skin and in the muscle tissue, causing the release of healing chemicals and enzymes to repair those areas that need it.
Why those particular points? No one knows. The reasons as to why certain points work have been lost to time. Many theories abound but none have been definitively proven. One Western theory posited connects the points used to the body’s own fascia, a thin, connective tissue made up of mainly collagen that runs the entire length of the body and covers all the body’s organs and muscles, but, again, this theory has not been definitively proven.
Ancient Chinese Medicine
The ancient Chinese system of medicine, now known as Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, viewed the body in relation to the natural world, and described the body’s workings - the thing that keeps us living – as Qi (pronounced Chi). From a Western perspective, Qi may be translated as our energy, our electricity, the spark that moves us, mentally, emotionally and physically. Our Qi is carried around our bodies via Meridians, or channels, which run the length and breadth of our bodies, much like a road map.
Let’s run with this analogy briefly. Imagine that all your major organs are cities and that the Meridians (channels) that connect them are highways and byways, whose size is determined according to the flow of traffic that uses them. When I write traffic, this being an analogy, what I really mean is Qi and definitely not a 1984 Mini Metro (that would be awful).
Qi, like traffic, flows constantly between our Major Organs, varying at different times of day and night according to the demands we make of our bodies. Yet, we’re all aware of the chaos that ensues following an accident on our major roads. Traffic backs up, stress manifests and interconnected routes begin to suffer under the ever-increasing mass of slow moving and stopped vehicles to the extent that the cities eventually begin to suffer through a lack of resources.
Acupuncture, functions as the engineering works that clears and repairs the ‘accidents’ of illness and pain caused by tissue damage that occur on the ‘road systems’ of our bodies. It does this by clearing the Meridians and re-enabling the flow of Qi along them, not only bringing relief to the affected area but enabling healing throughout the entirety of your bodies system.
So, please if you need assistance or help with healing injuries, illness, both physical and mental, contact me and arrange an initial consultation, either at my surgery in Wistaston or at my Mill House Clinic in Nantwich.