Traditional Acupuncture is a
healthcare system based on ancient principles which go back nearly two thousand
years. It has a very positive model of good health and function, and looks at
pain and illness as signs that the body is out of balance. The overall aim of
acupuncture treatment, then, is to restore the body's equilibrium. What makes
this system so uniquely suited to modern life is that physical, emotional and
mental are seen as interdependent, and reflect what many people perceive as the
connection between the different aspects their lives.
Traditional acupuncturists are trained to use subtle diagnostic techniques that
have been developed and refined for centuries. The focus is on the individual,
not their illness, and all the symptoms are seen in relation to each other.
Each patient is unique; two people with the same western diagnosis may well
receive different acupuncture treatments.
The underlying principle of treatment is that illness and pain occur when the
body's qi, or vital energy, cannot flow freely. There can be many reasons for
this; emotional and physical stress, poor nutrition, infection or injury are
among the most common. By inserting ultra-fine sterile needles into specific
acupuncture points, a traditional acupuncturist seeks to re-establish the free
flow of qi to restore balance and trigger the body's natural healing response.
Until the 1940s, when the Chinese government commissioned the development of a
uniform system of diagnosis and treatment, somewhat misleadingly referred to as
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), nearly all training had been
apprentice-style with masters and within families. The same applied when
acupuncture travelled overseas to Japan and South East Asia.
As a consequence of this there are many different styles of acupuncture which
share a common root but are distinct and different in their emphasis. You
may read of ‘TCM’, ‘Five Elements, ‘ Stems and Branches’, Japanese Meridian
Therapy, and many others, all of which have their passionate devotees.
Acupuncture Councils worldwide, though, have long embraced this plurality under
the heading ‘unity in diversity’ and sees the variety of approaches as the mark
of a healthy profession.
Traditional acupuncture has a long history of adapting to new cultures in which
it is practised. Its growing popularity and acceptance in the West may well
promote yet more new and exciting variations on the ancient themes.
A growing body of evidence-based clinical research shows that
traditional acupuncture safely treats a wide range of common health problems.
