So What IS Acupuncture, Exactly?

Written by Rachel Muich, L.Ac., MSTCM and originally posted on firewoodacupuncture.com.

I get asked this question so often. It’s the number one most-asked question. And I LOVE giving answers. When I was in school, one of my teachers said, “Work on your elevator pitch and keep it simple and to the point.” I’ll be the first to tell you…that’s so hard!! The complexity of Eastern healing is vast and trying to simplify it is a challenge. But I promise to do my best! Read on!

Simply put, acupuncture is the administering of hair-thin needles into the body in specific locations meant to mobilize circulation and stimulate your body’s natural ability to heal. This is my elevator pitch and what I say most often when someone asks me point blank what acupuncture is. Inevitably, more questions follow.

So the next step is…Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on “Qi,” (chee) or “Chi,” meaning our energy or life-force that flows throughout our body. This Qi, or energy, can be influenced and balanced by stimulating specific points on the body. These points are located along channels, or meridians, that connect all of our major organs. There are 12 primary channels on our bodies that are broken up into Yin and Yang pairs: Lung & Large Intestine, Kidneys & Bladder, Liver & Gallbladder, Heart & Small Intestine, Pericardium & San Jiao, and Spleen & Stomach.

Lastly…Illness and imbalance arises when the flow of Qi becomes blocked. Acupuncture helps to unblock the flow of Qi. Common examples of “stuck Qi,” are pain, headaches, PMS, GI discomfort, belching and bloating, gas, sleep disturbances, and mood swings.

Still skeptical?...

As much as I hate to admit it, the answers above are often not enough. Almost immediately, the follow up question is, “But what about science?”

I strive to educate my patients on Traditional Chinese Medicine the way I learned it. While physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biology and other Western science branches aren’t completely excluded in our curriculum when becoming Board-Certified and State-Licensed acupuncturists, (in fact, it’s almost half of what we learn!!!) I think it’s my duty to teach the medicine the way I learned it out of respect for Chinese culture and the wisdom that has been preserved for close to 5,000 years.

With that being said, we live in the West! We are more accustomed to hearing science-based terms when speaking about health and wellness. So while I continue to use terms such as Yin and Yang, Wind Invasion, or Damp Stagnation, I try to provide an alternative explanation in case the Eastern terms don’t land the way I’d like.

Additionally, due to the advancements in technology, we now have numerous studies proving the efficacy of acupuncture spanning a wide array of dis-ease and imbalance. It is SO validating being able to see tangible proof of the power of acupuncture and holistic healing. Because NO, it’s not all in your head and it’s NOT just a placebo.

Acupuncture has been PROVEN to regulate the Central Nervous System (CNS), which controls most functions of the body and mind. It consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The spinal cord is the conduit for the signals between our body and the brain.

When needles are administered in the body, sensory input, information processing, and motor output are all effected. By stimulating the CNS, several other systems are activated, like an increase of blood circulation which will release muscle-tension, the release of endorphins (our happy hormones), and the activation of the parasympathetic system, which controls our “rest and digest,” mechanisms.

In addition, you may see a reduction in systemic inflammation and in stress. By activating the parasympathetic system, cortisol (the stress hormone) drops drastically. While we need cortisol in small doses, most Americans are over-stimulated and over-stressed, which keeps our cortisol levels heightened. Consistently high cortisol levels can lead to inflammation (which can be safely called the root of all disease), weight gain, poor sleep, little to no appetite, and emotional imbalances.

By receiving regular acupuncture, you are effectively allowing your brain and body to relax, restore a healthy connection, and fight disease. So, it’s no surprise that acupuncture also regulates and boosts immunity, keeping you from getting chronically sick by stimulating both red and white cell production.

A note about holistic medicine…

Thousands of years ago, Chinese Medicine practitioners were paid to keep you well. You went to see them often to keep your body’s self-healing capacity intact. If you fell ill, your practitioner DID NOT get paid. Fast forward to Western medicine thousands of years later. We wait until we get sick, go see our doctor, pay large amounts of money, expect immediate results, and then don’t see them until we fall ill again.

This flip of the paradigm in the way we practice medicine completely ignores and undermines our body’s ability to self-repair. We put less and less faith in our own abilities to heal and more and more emphasis on pharmaceutical intervention, invasive surgeries, and “breaking apart the machine,” meaning, we point to where it hurts and that’s the only part our doctors’ focus on.

Holistic medicine does not break you apart from the whole. If your shoulder starts hurting out of nowhere, we will still look at your shoulder, but we will also check in with digestion, quality of sleep, and energy levels. Not separate. Part of the whole. All of your body’s systems have to work together in order to keep you in balance.

This includes your physical body, your emotional body, and your spiritual body. If you’re coming to me for a very specific reason, regular acupuncture is going to help you with that primary concern, but it’s also going to improve your sleep, boost your immune system, relieve digestive upset, and calm your mind. That primary concern is what brought you here, but we do not merely treat your symptoms. We treat YOU. All of you. Getting to the root of your imbalance is what Eastern healing is all about.

Does that answer the question?…

I hope these brief explanations have given you some insight into the power of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s truly remarkable that this medicine has been around for thousands of years. Its staying power is proven in the results this type of healing boasts…because it works! And! Chinese medicine also includes adjunct modalities including cupping, moxibustion, gua sha, and tui na. There are so many tools we can utilize to help you bring you to your healthiest, strongest, and happiest self. If you’re curious to know more, you know where to find me. I can talk about Traditional Chinese Medicine for HOURS. Truly. Ask my sister how long I can talk about it…

Rachel Muich is a licensed acupuncturist with a Masters of Science in Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine (M.S.TCM). Learn more about Rachel here and on her website, firewoodacupuncture.com.