http://www.aaca-boston.org/SampanWeb/ehtml/2004/0604/accupuncture.htm

By Edward Chiu, Lic. Ac.

I was very fortunate to be taken on as an apprentice by Dr. Wang
during my training as an acupuncturist. I flew to Taiwan, halfway
around the world, for this opportunity. Patients often drove two
hours each way to see him, because he could cure a wide variety of
conditions, including allergies, insomnia, menopausal complaints,
paralysis from stroke, and kidney disease. He had an album full of
photos of babies, whose parents originally came to him after having
been diagnosed as infertile. Any type of pain seemed to melt away
once subjected to his needles. As some of his patients lay with
needles in them during their weekly health maintenance treatments,
they would tell me about how their tumors had substantially shrunk --
or even disappeared -- under his care. One day, Dr. Wang made an
emergency visit to a hospital to give acupuncture treatment to a man
whom he had just learned had been unconscious for two weeks. After
just one needle was inserted, the man began to twitch, and a few
days later he opened his eyes and regained consciousness.

What is acupuncture? This healing art, this tradition of
acupuncture, has been passed down from master to apprentice for
thousands of years. It requires both knowledge and insight about the
workings of the human body, as well as finely tuned skills aimed at
curing disease. Treatment involves the insertion of fine needles
into the human body at specific locations, to restore health and
well-being. There have been new developments in acupuncture
techniques and treatments over the last hundred years, but the basic
goal, to restore health by promoting balance, has remained.

On my first morning in Dr. Wang's clinic, he began my lessons by
giving me an acupuncture treatment. I lay down on the table, and he
placed six needles into various points on my arms and legs. He then
manipulated the needles to give each point a strong sensation. At
one acupuncture point I felt an electrical sensation, at one point a
deep soreness, at one point a sense of warmth, and at yet another
point a muscle twitch. After several minutes when these beginning
sensations had faded, a new sensation took over: the circulation
of "qi," where each needle point felt active, and stimulated the
flow of this mysterious yet palpable energy throughout my body. I
entered a deep state of relaxation. When the needles were taken out
an hour later, I got up refreshed with more energy than before, but
also with a sense of peace and awareness.

Modern scientific medicine has had a difficult time trying to
understand how acupuncture works. The goal of both western and
eastern medicine, the elimination of disease, is a common one, but
the directions of approach are quite different. In modern medicine,
diagnosis involves a battery of scientific tests to pinpoint the
biochemical or physiological cause for a symptom (e.g., a blood
test, MRI, x-ray, or biopsy). In traditional Chinese medicine,
diagnosis relies on the practitioner's power of observation and
intuition. Traditionally, there are several methods of diagnosis.
The first method is looking, in which the acupuncturist observes the
patient closely - for instance, taking in information about body
type, gait, the color in the face, and the spirit in the eyes.
During the course of my studies with Dr. Wang, I learned that
because he had seen so many patients in his career, he was able to
diagnose illness accurately simply by looking at a patient, not
needing to rely on asking questions. Another method of diagnosis is
palpation, touching specific points on the body, or areas such as
the abdomen, to detect signs of disease. Palpation also includes
taking the pulse, which in Chinese medicine is a much more involved
practice than in western medicine. Not only does the acupuncturist
pay attention to speed, regularity and strength of the pulse, but
also quality. For instance, there are quite different pulse
qualities that indicate an impending flu, or a pregnancy, or a
headache. A third method of diagnosis is the traditional interview,
in which the acupuncturist asks the patient questions, not only
about his or her main complaint, but also on topics that might seem
irrelevant. Information about the whole body is taken --details such
as sleep patterns, temperature, bowel movements and lifestyle. This
transformation may all be important in determining an accurate
diagnosis. All of these clues, put together, will allow the
acupuncturist to address the underlying cause of the problem at
hand, and design an appropriate treatment with the goal of re-
establishing a balanced and healthy condition, and not merely
controlling one symptom at a time.

Scientific researchers have tried to explain how acupuncture's
seemingly miraculous effects can be possible. Many theories have
been proposed, and while it is certain that acupuncture has widely
varying physiological effects, no over-arching explanation for
acupuncture has been scientifically proven. The nervous system is
certainly involved, as has been documented by researchers studying
acupuncture in humans with functional MRI. The circulatory system is
also involved, as demonstrated by researchers using animal models.
Some researchers have suggested that meridians, intangible pathways
and networks of qi, are to be found in fascia, connective tissue
which runs throughout the human body.

Acupuncture research will continue to expand in the future, and our
creative attempts to determine how acupuncture works may provide us
with new directions for understanding the human body in greater
depth even from a scientific point of view.

Regardless of the progress of research, however, acupuncture has
recently become much more popular in the United States as a method
of treatment. Patients find relief from their symptoms, and that is
enough proof for many. Most patients who walk into my office are
coming mainly for pain relief -- to resolve problems such as
migraines, lower back pain, and arthritis.

Acupuncture has proven to be effective not only for alleviation of
pain, but it is also used for internal problems, including many
respiratory, circulatory, gastro-intestinal, gynecological, immune,
urinary, and neurological disorders. Acupuncture is an alternative
that would be especially wise to explore in several types of
situations. First, patients who need to take long-term medications
with strong side effects which build up over time may wish to pursue
treatment. If a patient with asthma, who needs to use a steroid
inhaler every day to control symptoms, responds well to a series of
acupuncture treatments, he or she may be able to consult with his or
her prescribing physician to decrease the dosage of or even
eliminate the use of the drug. Invasive surgeries can be considered
as a type of medicine with its own possible side effects, such as
scar tissue, lingering pain or decreased function. Depending on the
response of the patient to acupuncture treatments the need for
certain surgeries, for instance as carpal tunnel surgery can
possibly be prevented.

Another group of patients who often considers acupuncture involves
people who have "borderline" conditions. If tests show that
you "almost" have hypertension, diabetes or abnormal thyroid levels,
but your disease is not advanced enough to warrant medication, why
simply wait for the disease to develop into a more serious state?
Acupuncturists and Chinese medical practitioners spend a lot of time
refining their diagnostic skills in order to detect problems even
before they arise, and address them preventatively.

Yet another type of patient with whom Chinese medicine should be
discussed is patients whose symptoms seem to defy any solutions
which western scientific medicine has to offer. If western
physicians have performed all the tests they can but fail to
diagnose the problem, or if all possible treatments have been tried
without result, seeking an alternative form of therapy is a logical
next step.

Patients in Asia often seek out Chinese medical treatment first, not
necessarily reaching the point where they have exhausted or become
dissatisfied with the western medical system. There is a simplicity,
yet a depth, to Chinese medicine that we have much to learn from. It
is true that scientific medicine has made some astounding advances
in the last century, from development of diagnostic techniques like
MRI technology, to cutting edge treatment procedures such as
laparoscopic surgery. And it is no doubt that western medicine is
indispensable in many emergency situations, without which a patient
in need would not survive. As a result of our amazement with
developments in science, we as a society have come to rely on the
current western medical system to solve all our problems, to the
extent where we no longer notice when our bodies are falling out of
balance. Chinese medicine is complementary in that paying attention
to these details is the first step to being able to live a healthy
life.

Dr. Wang is a powerful practitioner of this ancient art, which he
spent countless hours refining. He had a great respect for his
teacher. I am also honored to be his student, grateful that he was
willing to pass on the skill and knowledge that will allow me to do
what I can to heal, and to be the next link in the chain of this
tradition. Perhaps it is time for us all to look back to the wisdom
of the ancients, to pay attention again to observing and taking care
of our own bodies, and to strive to live more peaceful, balanced and
healthy lives.

Edward Chiu, Lic. Ac., is an acupuncturist who practices in Norwell,
Mass.