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What is Chinese Medicine? What is Acupuncture?
Can it help me?
Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest systems of healthcare still in practice today, with its origins dating back over 3,500 years ago. Chinese Medicine theory is founded, in part, on ancient Daoist thought which considers everything in the universe to be interconnected. This applies to both the macrocosm of the external world and the microcosm of the individual body & mind. The body and mind are not considered separate things, but rather integrated parts of the whole system. Damage to our physical body can have an effect on our mind & spirit, and similarly, damage to our psyche can impact us physically.
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Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) is one of the concepts in Chinese Medicine we talk about most often in the West. Although hard to clearly define, we can think of Qi as the formless vital force in the body that 'makes it all happen'. Qi has multiple functions such as warming the body, moving blood through the vessels, holding the organs upright in their place, and working as a defense mechanism to ward off external pathogens. Qi flows throughout the body via a dynamic system of channels, which are kind of like rivers that travel through the various organs and tissues. When there is obstruction to the smooth flow of Qi, disease manifests. Techniques such as acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, movement & exercise, dietary modification, and herbal therapy can help remove excess, supplement deficiency, and restore the balance of yin and yang in the body and mind.
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Chinese Medicine has eight branches in total, acupuncture being the most well known in the West. Acupuncture is a manual technique that involves inserting single use sterile needles the thickness of a cat whisker into specific locations in the body. Acupuncturists tailor unique treatment protocols specific to each individual patient based on a thorough assessment of the patient's health history combined with the current patterns they present.
How and why does acupuncture work? Although this is a bit fuzzy, there are several theories that try to explain it from a Western biomedical perspective. One theory suggests that acupuncture relieves pain because many acupuncture points are located close to neural structures. Stimulating these areas has a direct effect on the nervous system. Another theory suggests acupuncture works because it causes the body to release endorphins, which leads to reduction of pain and increased feelings of well-being and relaxation. One thing we know for certain is that is that Chinese Medicine has proven itself again and again to be an effective system of healing that brings the body back into homeostasis in a relatively gentle and non-invasive way.
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At Bitter Taste Sweet Health we treat underlying imbalances in combination with your chief complaints in an effort to kickstart the body to remember how to heal itself. Acupuncture can address most ailments and offer support and complementary care to whatever you may be working through with your other health care providers. Whether you are experiencing physical pain, emotional discomfort, or chronic illness, the Chinese Medicine first aid kit has many tools we can explore to help you find relief.
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