Although most people in the Bay Area are familiar with acupuncture, many are unsure of how it works. “So…how will sticking a needle in my foot make my headache go away?” people ask, as they back slowly towards the door.
It’s important to understand that Chinese medical theory views the body in a very different way than does the western medical field. Allopathic, or western, medicine tends to focus on symptoms, and to treat these symptoms as the body’s primary problem. This is an incredibly useful mode of thought when the symptom really IS the problem—for instance, with a broken bone—but it does have its limitations. Chinese medicine, on the other hand, views the body as an integrated whole. Symptoms are indications of a root imbalance, and if that imbalance is addressed, the symptoms will be alleviated.
Early practitioners of Chinese medicine determined that particular symptoms are correlated with particular root imbalances. They studied the body with great care. Ultimately, they concluded that there were pathways along the body that connected certain organs to certain muscles—and that stimulating these pathways could encourage the corresponding organs to function more effectively. For instance, there is an acupuncture point on the shin that has long been used to treat stomach ailments, because the pathway that corresponds to the stomach runs along the shin.
People have been enjoying the benefits of acupuncture for centuries. At the moment, it is also the subject of a great deal of Western research. Scientists are finding that the insertion of needles into the skin actually signals the brain to initiate a cascade of biochemical responses that promote healing. In the case of the shin-point that is used to treat stomach problems, researchers have found that there is a measurable difference in the contractions responsible for digestion before and after stimulation of the point. Not only is there a difference, but the difference is regulated by the body itself. If the stomach contractions are too slow, acupuncture speeds them up. If they are too fast, acupuncture slows them down.
In short, acupuncture acts as a regulator, helping the body balance itself—and when your body and mind are balanced, you feel great.
