Taylor Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a medical therapy that has a written history of over 2000 years.  It is a culmination of several millennia of clinical experience handed down from practitioner to practitioner, originally in China, and now all over the world.

Traditional acupuncture theory follows the principal that there is an "energy" that flows through our bodies called Qi (pronounced "chee").  Qi may seem like something mystical, but it's really not, it is just not yet detectable with Western scientific means.  With a little meditation, breathing exercise, and a good teacher it is actually quite easy to feel and experience what Qi is in our bodies.

Qi flows through meridians not unlike blood and body fluids flow through our arteries, veins, and lymph vessels.  These meridians are generated by our internal organs and also flow out to the extremities, all the way to the tips of our fingers and toes.

It is a common principle in Chinese Philosophy that Life=Movement.  If something is not moving then it is progressing towards disease and eventual death.  The same applies for our bodies.  In an oversimplified manner, pain or disease IS the blockage or deficiency of Qi.

It is possible to manipulate the Qi in one part of the meridian by manipulating the Qi in another part of the meridian.  This is very similar to a hose that is full of water, when you squeeze it on one end you could push the water out the other end, right?  In this same way, your acupuncturist can use points around your hands and feet to manipulate the Qi in other parts of your body, even your internal organs.

An acupuncture point is a place where Qi is said to "well up", or congregate.  Acupuncture uses very small needles to manipulate these acupuncture points.  The needles are so small that you can fit about 10 inside the HOLE of a regular hypodermic needle.  They can be used to move stagnant qi, help the body produce more Qi, stimulate muscles and nerves, increase local blood flow, etc.  Thereby relieving pain and/or bringing the patient back to a better state of health.

Modern Research

Modern medicine obviously needs a model other than "Qi" in order to understand, analyze, and use Chinese medical theory.  There is little to no doubt that Acupuncture is effective, however the scientific mechanism of HOW it works is far from established.  Below is a summary of a few of the theories are have been established as mechanisms of the effects of Acupuncture:

1. Neurohormonal Responses - It has been established for many years that the insertion of Acupuncture needles causes the body to release hormones and neurotransmitters.  The most well researched phenomenon relates to Endorphins.  Endorphins are your body's natural pain killers and are released from the brain when needed.  Although Acupuncture needles are not painful at all, the body responds like they are and releases these Endorphins.  You can think of it as a way of tricking the body into reducing pain.  The only problem with this theory is that it only explains a small amount of the effectiveness of Acupuncture.  It does not explain how we can actually cure problems, or treat internal medical complaints.
2. Homunculus Man - Homunculus man is the name of the diagram of a figure drawn over the human brain showing what parts of the brain relate to what body parts.  It looks a little like a Picasso-esque drawing of a person...  It is theorized that there is much crossover between these sections and parts of the brain related to internal organs.  For example, with this theory one would argue that a point in the web between the thumb and first finger would actually crossover in the brain to the parts that relate to both the colon, and to the forehead.  Thereby, depending on what stimulus is sent through it, it could moderate headaches or even constipation/diarrhea.
3. Nerve Stimulation -  A simpler theory is that the points simply stimulate nerves and the body responds.  For example is has been clearly proven (via CT scans of brains) that stimulating a specific point on the end of the little toe (UB 67) causes increased activity of the visual cortex of the brain.  How?  Some say it is simply a reaction to the nerve being stimulated and may not be so complex as the Homunculus Man theory.
4. Connective Tissue Stimulation - Brand new research has come out from the Western medical guys using ultrasound sonography while needles are being mechanically stimulated.  What it has found is that connective tissue (mostly fascia, tendons, and ligaments), when needled with rotation, responds with the same healing response as to if you have put load (i.e. weight) on the injured tissue, without having the danger of actually putting weight on it.
5. Morphogenetic Singularity Theory - This one is a mouthful!  Amphibians can of course regrow limbs if they are lost (usually lost due to curious scientists that cut them off).  When they grow back, there are specific energetic "centers" that become significantly more active.  These centers are believed to have a major role in organizing and realigning the tissues of the newly developing limb to make it fit the genetic structure that it is supposed to have.  Humans have these centers too, but obviously we don't regrow limbs.  Many of these centers are at Acupuncture points...  It is therefore believed that these points help to stimulate the body to reorient the structures to match the proper alignment and function that has been lost for some reason.  If this theory stands the test of time and more scrupulous science, it would explain how Acupuncture can regulate the body without the fear of throwing things out of whack.
6. Motor Points and Trigger Points - Many Acupuncture points are also located over motor points and trigger points.  For simplicity sake, think of these points as places where major muscle knots and spasms can occur.  The easiest one to find is right at the top of your shoulders, halfway between the end of the shoulder and the base of the neck.  This is the place that you may beg your significant other to massage at the end of a long day (hopefully with success).  The metal of the needle can release electrical conductivity that is stored in the local tissues, thereby allowing the spasm to relax.
7. Holographic Paradigm & Quantum Mechanics- If you want some REALLY "out there" theory, that most people see as the actual science that will explain Chinese medical theory in the future, this is it, but it's strange unless you are a philosopher or a very high level scientist.  This stuff is WAY too complicated to get into here, but if you google either of the above principles you will get plenty of info.

If all of this blows your mind, don't worry about it!  You are not alone!  The only thing that is important to remember is that Acupuncture has been proven to work!  The reality is that it works in different ways when it is used for different things.  Our techniques developed over 2000 years, we do not use one simple method to treat people, but instead many methods with many different mechanisms of effectiveness, depending on the individual and the presentation of the case.