Hi Everybody,
People ask us all the time how acupuncture works. We’ve talked a bit about this in the past, but I’m going to give you a couple more examples.
1. Meridian Reflexes- The first thing you typically do as an Acupuncturist is to diagnose which “Meridian” is out of balance. Once you know which Meridian is your target, you either work on that meridian, or one that is closely related to it.
This is one of the reasons you may hurt in your shoulder, yet get needles in your shin. The Stomach Channel on the shin is directly related to the Large Intestine Channel that runs through your shoulder.
Sometimes needles are placed directly into the point of pain, but other times it works best if you put the needles very far away from the point of pain. Although it seems odd, the results are sometimes instant.
2. Body Part Reflexes- Another type of reflex used is body parts that reflex into each other. In addition to diagnosing which “Meridian” or “Channel” is off kilter, you also need to know which body part is in trouble. This is easy when your problem is as simple as low back pain, or knee pain, or something like that. But when the problem is internal it gets harder.
Once you know which body part you are going to target, you have to find a reflexive area to treat it. There are several all over the body. You can affect any part of the body by points on the ear, hands and feet. In addition, there are numerous other areas of the body that can affect any one area.
Typically, you figure out which meridian you are going to treat, and then find a point that meridian goes through that represents the body part you are treating. You are in essence combining 1. Meridian Reflexes with 2. Body Part Reflexes.
3. Tissue Reflexes- The final reflex you take into consideration is the tissue involved. If your shoulder is hurting because you strained a muscle, then you have a muscle problem. If it is hurting due to a ligament or bone problem, then you have a different tissue involved.
Once you know the meridian you need to treat, and the body part you need to treat, then you figure out the body tissue you need to treat, and you combine all three into the treatment.
You treat the meridian that will help the problem, at the point on that meridian that will reflex into the body part you are targeting, and the depth of the needle is determined by the tissue you want to treat. If it is a muscle problem, you go to the depth of the muscle. If it is a ligament problem you go to the depth of the ligament. And so on.
I hope this newsletter wasn’t too technical. We know that several of you out there love to learn more about how acupuncture works.
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Hope this helps,
Dr Matt and Dr Robin
mattandrobin@yahoo.com (email)
This week’s bit of Useless Information: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 with 400 employees marching off from Convent Avenue and 145th Street in New York City. During this time the parade was accompanied not with the oversized balloons of our favorite cartoon characters, but with live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo — from camels to elephants.
This email is courtesy of Matthew Barnes, D.C. and Robin Barnes, D.C. Neither this nor any of our emails are intended to be medical advice and should not be taken as such. They are opinion and are for informational purposes only. None of the nutrients discussed here are meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.