How does Acupuncture "work" ?

How does Acupuncture work? 

I am not going to lie, there is a mysterious aspect to it. 
The philosophy of Chinese Medicine including Acupuncture is based on is The Tao Te Ching, the book of changes. 

The concept is that as humans we walk "between heaven and earth". As life happens, we have to adapt. Acupuncture is meant to help you find balance. From a more scientific perspective, this could be seen as neuroplasticity, our capacity to adapt. 

To me this could translate as blocked "Qi". 

What is Qi ? If you are aware the philosophy of Yoga this could be equated to Prana, Scholars say that Qi doesn't quite translate to Energy but it is the closest way to explain it. 

I see it as vitality, energy, function and flow. There are a myriad of reasons why our Qi might be deficient/ or we don't have enough, or stuck. That is more complex pattern diagnosis. But, moving the qi can be profound. With my own eyes, I have seen peoples lives change, by simply getting there Qi flowing or we could even say unblocking and regulating the nervous system. 
This is a simplified explanation, but honestly Chinese Medicine in itself is simple and based on common sense. There is a structure and foundation that is all rooted in Yin and Yang. 

Qi is an aspect of yang. I will go more into yin and yang in another blog. 

Now Back to how it works: 
-Acupuncture connects your brain to your body. An example being, pain. Pain receptors can get blocked, we stimulate those reminding your brain where to send blood flow and natural opiates. These receptors tend to wear out as we age. We can all remember bouncing back in our youth and then later.. not so much.. 

 - We balance your organs and Meridians, we make those choices by doing some diagnosis, questioning, observation. Each organ has a function and there are many Meridians/ lines of energy that run through out our bodies. There are different kinds of Meridians, but we often address the 12 main ones. 

So, by connecting your brain and body, Acupuncture helps open up your meridians, strengthening your body, balancing your organs which could include supplementing, draining, or modulating. There are many styles of Acupuncture and philosophies to how it works, some say it's just physical, some say more energetic. The truth is you can't separate the two (in my experience and professional opinion).

Acupuncture also lowers cortisol and gives you a break from our over-stimulating world. This is important in my practice, I do less talking and my goal is to give you more time to heal and rest.  
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Feel free to reach out with questions @ [email protected] 
Thank you for reading, 
- Stefanie Rothert, LAc. MSOM
#acupuncturefornervoussystemregulation #acupunctureforpain #thetao #whatisqi #movingyourqiwithacupuncture #findingbalanceiwthacupuncture #yinandyang
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