How does acupuncture work?

Although acupuncture may seem mysterious, the mechanism behind its effectiveness is quite simple. A basic understanding of two concepts is essential to understanding acupuncture.  These concepts are Qi and Meridians.

Although it is unfamiliar to most westerners, Qi not a spiritual or a “new age” concept.  One translation of the word Qi is “that which animates life”—the presence of Qi is what distinguishes a living person or animal from a dead person or animal (or an inanimate object).  Qi is the motive force behind your ability to move, see, hear, heal, digest, and speak. It is the “spark” that keeps your heart beating, your blood circulating, and your brain thinking. It is the energy behind the phenomenal growth of a small child and the remarkable ability of the human body to heal from injury and disease.

“From the standpoint of Western medical science, Qi is likely to be revealed as some amalgam of endorphins, the bioelectric potential of cell membranes, nervous conduction, circulating hormones and perhaps even photons (light) and infrared radiation (heat). In attempting to define and quantify qi, acupuncture research may end up identifying a whole new system of biological information, such as the conduction of impulses through the body’s connective tissue.”

“Qi is understood to be the intrinsic, dynamic, self-regulating and self-maintaining power of the organism. All healing in Chinese Medicine is directed, ultimately, at conserving, protecting, augmenting, restoring, and facilitating Qi.”

Meridians (also known as channels) are the pathways that conduct Qi throughout the body. Free flow along the fourteen major and innumerable minor meridians of the human body brings life-giving Qi to every cell of your body, including the muscles, nerves, and organs. An obstruction in a meridian is like a dam in a river – Qi builds up and overflows the normal boundaries of the meridian on one side; on the other side tissues lack nourishment. When there is an obstruction, energy stagnates on either side of the blockage and tissue function is impaired. If the blockage is sustained, pain and disease is the result. In Chinese there is a saying, “If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there is free flow, there is no pain.”

Blockages can be caused by injury, contagious diseases, emotional stress, lack of physical activity, excessive physical activity, overuse injuries, faulty diet, and many other factors. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used to remove blockages, regulate Qi, and restore physiological and psychological equilibrium.

To learn more about Qi and the other vital substances, click here.

To learn more about acupuncture from both a scientific and traditional Chinese medicine perspective, click here.