May
2001
Not
Just Needles: A Little About Traditional Chinese Medicine
By Hillary Morris
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Traditional Chinese Medicine (‘TCM’)
is a holistic, integrated system of healing which has prevented and
treated illness for more than 2000 years. TCM as a medical approach
has a broadly consistent philosophy. The tools which TCM uses to heal,
however, are varied and include acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine,
“cupping,” gua-sha, moxibustion, and gentle electrical stimulation
of needles (or ‘e-stim’).
In TCM, each individual is a unique entity presenting with distinct
symptoms. Think a headache is just a headache? You’ll feel differently
after talking with an acupuncturist. She will likely ask you very specific
questions about your headaches, such as “where exactly on the head
do you feel them and are they pounding, dull or sharp? When do you get
them, and does anything make them better? Do you get any visual disturbances?
Does any particular emotion seem to precipitate them?” These questions
are necessary because, in TCM, each answer is a clue to deciphering
the mystery that is “Headache” and how best to treat it.
Each TCM diagnosis is tailored to the individual, and it is quite possible
that the exact treatment given, in terms of acupuncture points and
herbs,
may not be used in quite the same way on any other person.
The Body from Afar
The concept of Yin and Yang forms the foundation of TCM and Taoist
philosophy. All things in nature—every plant, every animal, and
every natural phenomenon—have both a Yin and a Yang aspect. Nothing
is completely Yang, or completely Yin. Yin is the feminine, protective,
yielding and nurturing aspect while Yang is the masculine, energetic,
and firm aspect. They are mutually interdependent and intertwined.
Humans hold within themselves a synergistic balance of Yin and Yang.
Some people may have more of a Yang constitution than others, and seem
(at least externally) to be more outgoing, aggressive, or quick to anger.
Others might possess more of a Yin constitution, and seem quieter, more
contemplative, or more forgiving. In truth, each human possesses a unique
balance of both Yin and Yang. When this balance shifts too far, disease
arises. It is this imbalance that acupuncture and other TCM modalities
ultimately seek to rectify.
Qi and Other Body Basics
One of the central tenets on which TCM is built is the Chinese
concept of Qi (pronounced “chee”). Qi is often translated as “life
energy,” but in truth, any attempt to translate the word Qi will
be inadequate. Qi cannot be seen (at least by most people), or viewed
with any instruments, or measured in any meaningful scientific way.
But it is present in all living things, and is the force that drives
their very existence.
According to TCM, human health is primarily influenced by the manner
in which Qi flows through the body. Is the Qi “stagnated”
or stuck due to emotional or physical disturbances that prevent its
smooth flow? Is Qi “depleted” due to an emotional shock, chronic
lack of sleep or improper diet? Qi travels through the body in unseen
channels called meridians that traverse the body and its limbs. There
are 12 meridians that relate and directly link to Organs and eight ‘extraordinary’
meridians that do not link to a specific Organ. The “Organs” are
related to the western definitions of organs, such as the lung and
liver. However, they embody both a physiological and metaphysical nature,
hence they are often capitalized to distinguish between their western
medical counterparts.
The meridians rise to the surface of the body at specific locations
called acupuncture points. These tiny points are where the acupuncturist “needles” in order to access the Qi of that particular meridian
and Organ. The needles used are very thin sterile disposable needles,
not at all like the hypodermic needles you came to fear as a child.
Thicker acupuncture needles are frequently used for stagnation or symptoms
of pain, while the thinner needles are more often used to tonify. When
the needles go in, patients often report a sensation of a “prick”
and then a deep although not uncomfortable ache. When the needles are
all in, patients often report a sensation of deep relaxation and sometimes
they even fall asleep for the 15 to 25 minutes the needles are in. When
a person’s condition is diagnosed as ‘cold,’ the acupuncturist
might also perform moxibustion. In the most common method of moxibustion,
a smoldering stick of artemesia root is used to “warm” the
needle and the meridian. Another option, particularly effective for
stagnant conditions, is “cupping” where small glass cups are
placed on the skin with suction created by a flame. The “evil Qi” is
drawn out of the body. With cupping, patients often experience reduction
in the pain almost immediately. These techniques are best performed
by a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) as opposed to an M.D. who typically
has much less training.
How might a TCM diagnosis be reached? Let’s say, for example, a
woman comes in for treatment with the complaint of frequent colds. She
might (among other possible diagnoses) be diagnosed with Lung Qi Deficiency,
which basically means that her Lung Organ does not have sufficient Qi
to resist the invasion of external pathogens (or “evils”).
So the practitioner may decide to tonify, or nourish, her Lung Qi. To
do this, the practitioner will decide on a “point prescription” of
anywhere from one to 20 individual acupuncture points. Some of these
points will likely fall on the Lung Meridian. In this way, the practitioner
can access the Qi of the Lung and influence the balance of Yin and
Yang.
Yin, Yang, and Blood (which again is different but related to “blood” as
we know it in the West) can also be disordered in illness and can result
in a variety of dis-eases, such as insomnia, back pain, panic
attacks, digestive issues and PMS. A basic knowledge of TCM rests on
the understanding that each disorder manifests in externally observable
signs. A well-trained practitioner can observe these signs and use
them
to formulate a proper diagnosis and treatment.
The beauty of TCM is in the simplicity with which it approaches and
resolves complex issues of health. Acupuncturists Harriet Beinfield
and Efrem Korngold describe TCM beautifully in their essay “Chinese
Medicine: How it Works” (see www.healthy.net): “each human
is seen as a world in miniature, a garden in which healer and patient
together strive to cultivate health. Every person has a unique terrain
to be mapped, a resilient yet sensitive ecology to be maintained. Like
a gardener uses irrigation and compost to grow robust plants, the healer
uses acupuncture, herbs and food to recover and sustain health.” Together,
patient and healer can walk down the path to wellness.
Hillary Morris is a NYS licensed acupuncturist and is Board-certified
in both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. She has a private practice
in Manhattan and is on the faculty of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
She can be reached at 212-726-2814 or via email at hillary@acupuncture.com.
