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How
does Acupuncture work?
The
Natural Balance of Health
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
views health
as a state of being in which body, mind and spirit interact
harmoniously, in balance. Health is the body’s
ability to adapt to the
changing stresses and demands, internal and environmental, present in
daily living. The moving, changing dynamics of life are symbolized in
the well known yin/yang symbol also recognized as the tai-ji ball or
double fish.
Yin and Yang
The inseparable and complimentary
terms yin and yang are expressions of the duality and constant changes
in all of nature and within us. They are not
absolute but
relative to each other. Yin has such qualities as cool,
passive,
heavy, dark while yang represents hot, active, light and bright. As day
changes to night, yang qualities give way to yin. One can not exist
without the other and each contains some of it’s
opposite.
When this dynamic balance is disrupted and the body’s healing
system becomes overwhelmed disease occurs.
Qi
A central concept in Traditional Medicine is Qi. Most
commonly
defined as energy it can be thought of as a biological force or
momentum that regulates the function of the organs. Qi (which
is
yang) and fluids (which are yin) circulate and nourish the body along a
series of connecting pathways called meridians.
Points on
the skin along these pathways are energetically connected to specific
organs. The internal organs are treated by using
meridians,
which pass through or influence the organ. Stimulation of these points
corrects imbalances within the pathway and the organs.
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