Acupuncture
Your beliefs become your thoughts
Your thoughts become your words
Your words become your actions
Your actions become your habits
Your habits become your values
Your values become your destiny
–Mahatma Gandhi
Chinese medicine invites us to transform how we view illness and create health. It is derived from the ancient concept that disease results from a disruption in the movement of the body’s energy. This disruption can result from any type of trauma, from a broken heart to physical illness or injury. Restoring the movement of this circulating energy is imperative for a long, vibrant, and healthy life.
In Asian cultures, this circulating life force is referred to as chi and said to flow along invisible pathways in the body known as meridians. Specific points along these meridians correspond to the body’s organs and functions. Applying tiny needles, pressure, or heat to these points stimulates the energy to flow freely, healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Western medicine has its own counterpart to chi. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy molecule that animates every movement and function of our body. Blood moves through our veins because ATP transports chemical energy within the cells to accomplish metabolic functions. As blood flows through our veins, it carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell, all 50 trillion of them, bringing life giving elements to each muscle group and organ system. Disruption or lack of this multifunctional nucleotide results in cellular dysfunction or death.
In ancient China, disease was thought to result from spirits, ghosts, or possession. Modern understanding of anatomy and physiology is evolving. Our consciousness and science have expanded; we can measure molecules, quarks, and frequencies, things that a few years ago we did not even know existed. Although we explain health and physiology in new terms, modern research points to the same conclusions reached four thousand years ago—acupuncture, along with exercise, diet, and lifestyle, is one of the cornerstones of wellness.
