 The guiding principle of acupuncture is qi. If you study marital arts or philosophy you probably have heard of qi
For those who are not that familiar with this concept, the following example may help you to observe the manifestation of qi. Some of you may have sufferered from nausea, vomiting or hiccups, especially after you have been eating. In western medicine, these symptoms may be due to bacteria, a loose sphincter muscle, or the ingestion of a poison. From a Chinese medical point of view, the normal flow of qi in the stomach has been interrupted. Normally the Stomach qi flows downward. In the case of nausea, vomiting and hiccups the Stomach qi moves upward.
In the West, we see the concept of qi being translated into words like energy. This is only a partially correct translation. Modern research on acupuncture usually mentions qi in the same context as energy, electro-magnetism, piezoelectricity and vibrations. Einstein showed us that everything is made of energy and continually radiates energy. This subtle force enlivens our body. Even though these concepts are similar, they also portray some degree of cultural variation.
The ancient Chinese connected the concept of qi to gases and other natural phenomena, such as breath, air, mist, clouds and smell. In the earlier versions of the word, they tried to express the transformation of change which happens between solids, fluids and gases. The word was pictured with three lines and its meaning was directly related to mist and clouds. Later, they added the picture of a seed to the character to illustrate the meaing of growth and change. Again, the meaning of the word depends on the context in which the character is used. In Chinese medicine, qi describes the dynamic phenomena in the body. There are five main functions associated with qi.
The five function of qi are:
- Activity: activity includes such things as growth, development and metabolism
- Warming: the warming effect of qi helps to regulate the temperature of the organs and tissue
- Defense: the immune system which helps us to fight against the invasion of
pathogenic factors, such as microbes and viruses is a part of our
body's defense.
- Transformation/Transportation: the distribution of fluids, sweat and nutrients is a part of the transformation and transportation abilities of the body.
- Containment: qi also helps the body to contain the blood within the vessels and to prevent bleeding and bruising.
For the acupuncturist, it is apparent that within each of us there is an intelligent system that maintains health and balance. The Chinese often use the word qi to explain what makes us tick; They believe this vital energy is in all living things, from the tallest tree, to the smallest cell. Qi provides all organisms with the power to accomplish everyday activities. Therefore, acupuncturists believe health is influenced by the quantity, quality, and balance of qi. I encourage each individual to look deep inside themselves to try to find their driving force. Listening to and nourishing this driving force is the first step in improving quality of life
A good metaphor for understanding the word qi is to visualize the fragrant vapors that arise when cooking rice.
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Dealing with the placebo effect for acupuncture is difficult, it's been really hard to do good research.
