1. History of Acupuncture-Yin/Yang No history of, or introduction to, acupuncture would be complete without first explaining the concept of Yin-Yang. Yin-Yang is the root of Chinese medicine. Chinese medical physiology, pathology and treatment are based on Yin-Yang, as is the Chinese culture itself. Yin and Yang represent complementary, but opposite qualities. They are not exact opposites. There is yin within yang, and yang within yin. They are interdependent, mutually transforming and mutually consuming. Yin-Yang was first referenced in the book the I Ching, dating back to approximately 700 B.C.E. The theories of Yin-Yang are ways of describing the phenomenological universe--a way of explaining nature. All phenomena in the universe are the result of the interplay and relationship of two opposites, Yin and Yang. Every phenomenon is both Yin-Yang in different degrees of manifestation. Yin symbolizes the material aspects of the universe and relates to the earth, darkness, the moon, shade, cold, rest, north, right, water and feminine. Yang represents heaven, light, the sun, brightness, hot, activity, action, south, left, fire and masculine. There is no yin without yang and vice versa. Each contains a seed or element of the other. They are never separate. Without one, there can be no other. A dualistic philosophy of the universe implies relativity. Thus some things are more yin than yang, or more yang than yin. When the body is perfectly healthy, yin and yang are in balance. When yin and yang are out of balance, when one predominates, there is disease. 2. How are Chinese Medical Diagnoses Made? Diagnosis in Chinese medicine involves all the senses and rationality of the practitioner. Diagnosis is based on the subjective complaints of the patient, her signs and symptoms and the sensory information perceived by the practitioner. Signs used include the pathological state of the tongue, pulse and abdomen. The tongue is one of several microsystems of the body; it reflects the organs of the body and their respective health. The pulse and abdomen are also microsystems of the body and reflect the state of organ health. Pulse-taking is an art that often takes years to master. Once mastered, however, the practitioner can make an accurate diagnosis without any other information. Master pulse-takers are able to "sit" and "listen" to the patient's radial pulse via palpation for several minutes and need no other information to accurately diagnose disease. For those of us who aren't "Pulse Masters," taking the patient's pulse is one of several sensory diagnostic techniques. The practitioner also notes the odor of the patient, the patient's appearance, the palpation of the abdomen and the sound of the voice, all of which help to diagnose disease. Finally, the practitioner rationally evaluates the symptoms of the patient and organizes this information into patterns. Diagnosis then comes from pattern differentiation. In Western medicine, for example, two patients may be diagnosed with asthma and prescribed the same medication to suppress the symptoms. In Chinese medicine, two patients may indeed have "asthma" but each will have unique symptoms and a unique Chinese medical pattern, thereby leading to two different diagnoses. Treatment will also be unique and based on the particular patient's pattern. No two patients are ever entirely alike, neither is their diagnosis nor treatment. This is why Chinese medicine is so effective at treating disease! 3. How Does Acupuncture Work? No one is entirely sure exactly how acupuncture works. How the placement of needles into acupoints cures or treats disease is partly a mystery. However, there are three popular theories as to how acupuncture works: the gate control theory of pain; the neuro-endocrine theory; and the semi-conductor theory. The Gate Control Theory The nerve fibers in the human body are like large bundles of cables of varying thickness. Thin nerve fibers transmit pain signals while thick nerve fibers transmit the sensation of touch. Experimentation has shown that if thick nerve fiber transmission is increased, then thin nerve fiber conduction is blocked, thereby blocking pain signals. In a sense then, pain is erased via "closing a gate" of specific nerve fibers in the spinal cord. Physical touch, like rubbing an injured body part, increases transmission in the touch fibers thereby easing pain, but acupuncture has been found to markedly increase transmission in these thick touch fibers. Electro-acupuncture (running low intensity electrocurrent through the needles) also achieves the same pain-dulling result. Neuro-Endocrine Theory Research has shown that needling an acupoint causes the body to release its own natural pain killers, called endorphins. Endorphins are released by many parts of the nervous system and are related to the body's endocrine system. However, this theory explains only part of the efficacy of acupuncture. Semi-Conductor Theory Robert Becker, a retired Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, proposes this theory that the nervous system is an information/control system using direct current (DC) analogue electrical signals. The signals in this DC system are carried via the neuroglia cells surrounding nerve fibers. This glial system produces electrical currents after a bodily injury, which is then associated with tissue growth and repair. If an injury occurs and there is no electrical current produced, then no growth or repair occurs. Becker proposes that acupoints along the meridians and channels in the body have specific electrical properties. Changes in the properties of these acupoints are used for diagnosis because acupoints have little to no electrical activity when the tissue or organ which they represent is healthy, or if the meridian is healthy. When injury or disease takes place, an electrical current is produced by the body local to that damage and the properties of electrical conductivity of that related acupoint changes, as does the surrounding skin. Inserting a needle or using electroacupuncture on that acupoint, or along that meridian, allows normal conductive properties to be restored, resulting in tissue regeneration and healing. 4. What Other Chinese Medical Modalities Are There? In addition to acupuncture, Chinese medicine encompasses proper nutrition, exercise (Qi Gong, Tai Qi), massage (Tuina), and moxibustion. Moxibustion is the burning of small cones of mugwort on specific acupuncture points to warm and activate the points and channels. A moxa stick is used indirectly and held near the body point for the same purpose. Chinese massage or Tuina is often used in conjunction with acupuncture to relax the muscles and prepare for needles. Qi Gong and Tai Qi are ancient exercises and breathing techniques that can be static like meditation or a very active form of exercise that focuses on proper breathing and controlled, precise body movements to move qi in the body. Finally, no form of medicine would be complete without nutritional guidelines. Chinese food cures, using the five elements and the patient's body type and pattern differentiation, are often prescribed along with herbal remedies. Back to Top Back to Top