Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a treatment method used by practitioners of Chinese Medicine that leverages a network of connections referred to as “channels” or “meridians” to influence the whole body system to support healing and health. Acupuncture entails the gentle insertion of thin, sterile needles into the body to effect physiological change. By classical medical reference, this intervention influences the circulation of qi 氣 (or vital energy) and blood 血 (xue) within the body. By modern medical assessment, we witness a regulatory influence on the circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, and on musculoskeletal function.

Underlying the practice of acupuncture is the acknowledgement of the network of relationships within the body - for example, between the interior and exterior - which we witness in seeing that we can access and affect the internal mechanism of the body from the exterior. The channel system integrates this network of relationships; acupuncture points along these channels provide and guide our access. Every point on the channel has a defined function, and there are specific categories of functions across channels.

During an acupuncture treatment, points are selected according to function and chosen in combination with other points along the same or other channels. This is known as a “point prescription.” This application of points and channels evolved over centuries, articulated within a scholastic framework, and validated through clinical observation.