Healing Through Acupuncture

1
Healing Through Acupuncture
2

• For many, the idea of being poked by numerous
  needles is hardly appealing even if it is
  beneficial. In fact, it is downright terrifying
  for those with belonephobia i.e. an abnormal fear
  of sharply pointed objects, especially needles.
  However, imagined fears rarely present the real
  picture and the only antidote to those fears is
  through knowledge and familiarisation.

3
Is the Pain as Bad as It Looks?

• Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medical
  philosophy, which interprets human physiology and
  its illness quite differently than contemporary
  science. Back then, there were no concepts of the
  existence of cells, modern physiology,
  biochemistry, nutrition or mechanisms of healing.
  Instead, it is premised upon the understanding
  that energy flows within the human body and this
  energy can be channeled to create balance and
  health. This energy flow is called Qi (and
  pronounced chee) and Qi moves throughout the
  body along 12 main channels known as meridians.
  In essence, the meridians represent the major
  organs and functions of the body but these
  meridians do not follow the exact pathways of
  nerves or blood flow as mapped out by western
  medical practice.

4

• The point of acupuncture is to correct the
  imbalances of the Qi and restore health through
  stimulation. Thus, fine needles are inserted
  through the skin at points along the meridians of
  the body. It is site-specific for specific
  diseases and disorders. However, contrary to
  popular misconception, it does not involve
  painfully deep poking. Acupuncture merely entails
  the stimulation of certain points on or near the
  surface of the skin. In general, there is very
  little pain associated with acupuncture treatment
  and most will only experience either a mild
  tingling sensation or a little dull ache. Some
  have likened it to very slight pinpricks or
  discomfort of normal ant bites.

5
Resiliency of Acupuncture

• The origins of acupuncture remain hazy in view of
  the lack of records. It is widely accepted that
  the theory and practice of acupuncture originated
  in China. However, the discovery of tattoo
  incisions on the acupuncture meridians of Otzi,
  the mummified Iceman, prompted a revisit of such
  beliefs. Some scientists went on to suggest that
  those tattoos are evidence that acupuncture
  actually predates the Asian acupuncture tradition
  by at least 2,000 years. In any event, the
  earliest existing documentation relating to
  acupuncture are the ancient scriptures found in
  198 BC sealed within the Ma-Wang-Dui tomb in
  China.

6

• The scriptures did not spell out the details of
  acupuncture procedures but contained certain
  references to the meridian system. The earliest
  ancient documentation in existence specifically
  relating to acupuncture procedures is The Yellow
  Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine from
  China, dating back to around 100 BC. This book
  captures the exchanges between the Chinese
  Emperor and his learned minister, Chhi-Po,
  regarding acupuncture. It primarily sets out the
  details and explanations about the meridians, Qi
  flows and pressure points. The details of precise
  sites of acupuncture points were not specifically
  addressed. Such acupuncture points were only
  documented much later. The bronze statues with
  acupuncture points that are still in use today
  were developed in the 15th Century for teaching
  and examination purposes.

7

• From the 14th Century and all throughout the Ming
  Dynasty, the practice of acupuncture flourished
  and culminated in the use of massage, diet,
  various herbs and heat therapy or moxibustion
  to enhance the effectiveness of acupuncture
  treatments. It was during this golden period that
  The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and
  Moxibustion, a leading text on acupuncture was
  published. This book sets out the principles of
  acupuncture on which modern practices of this
  tradition rest. The 17th Century was a dark time
  for acupuncture as it acquired a reputation for
  being a superstitious and irrational practice.
  Having become tangled in politics, things
  deteriorated to the point that the Emperor issued
  a decree in 1822 to exclude the practice of
  acupuncture from the Imperial Medical Institute.
  Despite this exclusion, some rural healers and
  scholars steadfastly held on to the knowledge of
  this practice.

8

• Acupuncture practitioners did not face official
  persecution (as it was not strictly illegal to do
  so at that time) but they were heavily
  stigmatised. Then, with the advent of Western
  medicine in the 20th Century, acupuncture
  practice fell further into disrepute. 1929 was
  the final nail on the coffin as the practice of
  acupuncture was outlawed in China along with
  other forms of traditional medicine.Fortunately,
  1949 was a huge turning point which marked the
  revival of acupuncture. The communist government
  had a change of heart and made a huge effort to
  restore the practices of traditional Chinese
  medicine, including acupuncture, to their former
  glory. With governmental support, acupuncture
  research institutes mushroomed across China
  contributing to the development and growth of
  this practice.

9

• Acupuncture was even introduced and incorporated
  into selected hospitals around China. Since then,
  interest in this ancient healing practice kept
  growing.

10
Modern Relevancy

• From its turbulent past, acupuncture developed
  over the next few centuries and gradually became
  part of the standard suite of alternative healing
  therapies across the world. A versatile treatment
  method, it has been used for pain management and
  to treat conditions of varying degree, from minor
  aches to life threatening illnesses.The following
  narratives from PIEWK, a professionally trained
  Chinese physician who graduated from Chinas
  Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine,
  serves to better illustrate the workings of
  acupuncture as an alternative healing method.

11
Acupuncture Helps to Revive Minor Stroke Patients

• A few years ago, I had an emergency request to
  treat a patient with minor stroke. She was a
  52-year-old lady who suddenly noticed that her
  speech was slurred and her gait unsteady. She was
  referred to me by her friend. As a traditional
  Chinese medicine (TCM) physician, I read her
  pulse and checked her tongue. Her tongue appeared
  greyish in colour and her face was pale. Her
  pulse was tense and irregular.

12

• I asked her to lie down on the clinic bed and I
  performed acupuncture on her scalp, neck, hand
  and legs, coupled with electrical stimulation and
  moxibustion. The whole session took about 45
  minutes.
• The patient felt immediate relief during and
  after the acupuncture session. After treatment,
  her tongue colour became red, which indicated
  good blood circulation to the heart and brain.
  She was also able to speak clearly.

13

• When acupuncture is performed on a patient who
  has stroke-related symptoms such as an unsteady
  gait, slurred speech, numbness on one side of the
  body, weakness, dizziness, etc., the application
  of needles to the relevant meridian points help
  to enhance the Qi and blood circulation. The
  patient may feel a slight prickling pain,
  soreness, numbness, or a pulling or current
  flowing sensation, due to the manipulation of Qi
  during the treatment. After the acupuncture
  needles are removed, the above sensations will
  eventually subside.

14

• After treating the patient, I advised her to go
  to the hospital the very next day for a CT scan
  and any other necessary check-ups to ensure she
  was fine. To her and her cardiac doctors
  surprise, there was nothing significantly
  alarming about her test results despite her
  earlier stroke-related symptoms.

15

• My youngest stroke patient was a 23-year-old
  young man and my oldest was a 92-year-old
  bed-ridden woman. Both of them came regularly for
  acupuncture treatment. Through observing their
  rate of recovery, it became apparent that the
  golden period for acupuncture treatment is the
  first three months (from the stroke). Those who
  immediately start acupuncture during that period
  tend to have quicker recovery of limb movement,
  are more likely able to stand on their own feet
  and also go back to their normal daily routine.
  In contrast, those who fail to get acupuncture
  during that period tend to recover with limited
  limb movement and usually require the assistance
  of a wheelchair or walking stick for mobility.

16

• Acupuncture is safe for those with heart disease
  as well as stroke patients who are on
  anti-coagulants as it is a non-invasive
  treatment. The needles are applied onto meridian
  points without pricking the veins or nerves. The
  only side effect is the ant-bite pain sensation
  which is usually tolerable.

17
Acupuncture Relieves Neck and Shoulder Stiffness

• A businessman walked into my clinic with
  difficulty turning his head. He was unable to
  look to the left or right and also could not look
  up or down. He was puzzled as to why he had such
  bad neck stiffness, as he had started using a
  special pillow many years ago. I checked his
  pulse, asked a few questions and checked his neck
  as well as his shoulder by pressing a few
  meridian points. He confessed that he had eaten
  quite a lot of durians a couple of days ago. He
  also admitted to being a hot-tempered person. I
  found his pulse to be quite tense and his tongue
  appeared dark red which indicated he was heaty.
  The excess heat was not severe enough to cause a
  fever but it exhausted his body fluids (the
  Yin) thereby causing stiffness of his muscles.

18

• I performed acupuncture on his neck and shoulder
  area. After half an hour of treatment, he could
  happily turn his head in all directions with
  ease. Acupuncture not only restored his neck and
  shoulder movement but also cleared away the
  excess body heat and improved the circulation of
  Qi and blood to the relevant meridian points.Neck
  and shoulder stiffness is a common problem with
  office workers, youngsters and IT folks. In
  addition to working long hours on the computer,
  they also spend a lot of time tilting their heads
  to look down at their cell phones. This results
  in bad Qi and poor blood circulation which easily
  causes stiffness to the head, neck and shoulders.
  This prolonged bad circulation caused by
  unhealthy posture can even lead to numbness of
  the arms, fingers and even headaches and
  dizziness.

19

• Acupuncture on the neck and shoulder meridians
  will help to improve circulation of Qi and blood
  to the area, thus relieving muscle stiffness and
  pain. Immediate relief can usually be felt after
  a session of acupuncture treatment. In some
  severe cases, more sessions of acupuncture are
  required. In any event, if the stiffness or pain
  persists after ten sessions of acupuncture, then
  it is advisable for the patient to do an x-ray
  examination of the cervical (neck) bone to rule
  out any other diseases or changes, for example
  bone spurs or degeneration.

20
Acupuncture Relieves Muscle Pains

• I often have patients who complain of body aches
  and want to know if acupuncture can help. Most of
  them are afraid of pain as acupuncture is
  related to the use of needles. However, the pain
  is actually minimal and tolerable. In fact, the
  needles are actually applied on meridian points
  nearer to the surface of the skin. However, as
  the meridians are very close to micro blood
  vessels and nerves, one will experience a
  sensation of pricking pain, soreness, numbness,
  or even itchiness around the area.

21

• An acupuncture session normally lasts about 20 to
  30 minutes and usually done using disposable
  needles for hygiene purposes. After treatment,
  some immediately stop feeling any discomfort.
  Even those with severe conditions who require
  more sessions reportedly feel a reduction of the
  muscle pain by half after the first treatment.
  When a patient feels immediate relief, they tend
  to ignore follow-up treatments. In reality,
  follow-up treatments are very important as body
  aches are just symptoms and the cause of such
  symptoms need to be treated.

22

• For example, leg or knee pain is usually related
  to the spine. Thus, the only way to really cure
  leg or knee pain is to address the problematic
  condition of the spine. For acute sprains, one
  can apply an ice pack on the painful area which
  relieves the pain and swelling. But if after a
  few days, the swelling persists and movements
  become limited, it is advisable to seek
  acupuncture treatment and physiotherapy. After
  acupuncture, it is advisable for the patient to
  abstain from consuming cold or iced drinks as
  well as hot and spicy foods which will delay the
  recovery process.

23

• For more update, visit us

http//www.tsemrinpoche.com/