Health And Fitness

Archeological finds of the late Shang Dynasty (c. 1000 B.C.) include both acupuncture needles and divination bones on which were inscribed discussions of medical problems. By the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the basics of Chinese medical theory and practice were firmly in place. Prominent among them were the concepts of yin and yang, the five phases, channel theory, various needling methods, a pharmacopoeia and a relatively sophisticated approach to therapy.

The concept of yin and yang is the basic root of all concepts within Chinese medicine. Yin and yang are emblems of the fundamental duality in the universe, a duality which is ultimately unified. The Chinese see that every manifestation, every function, and every aspect of our world has a dual nature. There is day and night, up and down, low and high, male and female, etc. Without one, the other can not exist. This is literally “two sides of the same coin”.

The character for yin translates as “shady side of the hill.” The character for yang translates as “sunny side of the hill”. So, there are two different aspects of the same hill. The Chinese assign qualities to yin and yang respectively and projected them to all levels of the cosmos through a system of correspondences. Some are listed below:

Yin Yang
Earth Heaven
Female Male
Night Day
Moon Sun
Inward movement Outward movement

Yin and yang are complimentary and not contradictory. Nor is one regarded as “good” and the other as “bad”. The goal is to seek harmony between them.

This is the basis of Chinese medical theory. Distinguishing between the yin and yang qualities of a person’s constitution or character of one’s illness is the major step in making a diagnosis. Health is maintained as long as yin and yang are relatively balanced. Once too far imbalanced, illness develops. The role of the acupuncturist is to restore the balance and, thus, health.

In social and natural relationships the Chinese traditionally prize harmony above all. Disease is viewed as disorder in the body and treatment is directed toward harmonization.This can mean harmonizing the relationship between organs, acupuncture meridians or regions of the body. This perspective allows Chinese medicine to address many chronic, debilitating conditions.A very common example of this is the disharmony between the Liver and Spleen, which is often typified by a stressed, worn out person. Whatever the particulars involved, the therapy is always to restore harmony, homeostasis and balance to the body system.

Tony Burris, L.Ac.

http://www.eagleacupuncture.com/about-2/meet-tony/

Tony Burris, L.Ac., helps frustrated and injured athletes and chronic pain sufferers discover a unique therapy system that often provides long-lasting or even permanent pain relief. His patients include members of the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Tony also treats members of the Seattle Mariners, Olympic medalists, mixed martial artists and NCAA competitors.

When it comes to medical treatments that have been around for a while there are few that can match acupuncture’s claims for longevity. Archaeological findings of stone implements suggest the practice may have its origins in the Neolithic period. While it may seem like a new age fad to many in the western world it is an ingrained part of medicinal culture for many in the eastern hemisphere.

For the most part acupuncture involves inserting pins through the epidermis at critical points across the surface of the body. Centuries, perhaps even millennia of practicing the technique has led to the locations of these points. Many charts still survive from the middle ages and before outlining the locations of these critical points but there is not true consensus, with many different branches of practitioners having different maps for the locations of these points.

In traditional Chinese medicine the understanding is that inserting the needles into these critical points unblocks the flow of chi in a relevant area. Chi is the vital energy that flows through us all. It is believed that disruptions to this flow can result in a variety of illnesses and ailments as well as causing undesirable events to occur in one’s life. According to Traditional Chinese Medical convention the critical points do not relate directly to the point on the body where they are located. For instance a point on the leg may relieve stomach upsets, a point on the nose may relieve tooth ache.

The range of ailments acupuncture provides relief for is quite large, everything from anxiety to liver disease. Commonly it is used to cure the common cold, to relieve pain and stress. It also has a high rate of success in helping smokers to quit and with reducing allergies.

There are no scientific explanations for how acupuncture works but studies show that it is more effective than placebo so scientists are generally very interested to know how it works. Even if as some suggest it is merely a particularly effective placebo that would make it as effective if not more so than many pharmaceutical drugs which only have to show a relatively small improvement over a placebo. Unlike many pharmaceutical treatments acupuncture has no known side effects. There are however many cases of pharmaceutical drugs having very detrimental side effects, in some cases ones that are worse than the ailment they were supposed to treat.

This is probably one of the factors that contribute to the continuing rise in the practice’s popularity. It does not clearly interrupt internal functioning and compared to surgeries and other modern treatments is relatively non-invasive.

Sufferers of chronic pain often look to acupuncture to help relieve their suffering. The dangers of addiction to painkillers do not appeal to many and beyond that many Doctors resources are limited. With relatively low risks and potentially high rewards acupuncture is an attractive option for many.