What is Acupuncture (針灸) ?
Acupuncture is an ancient practice of medicine. It originated over 2,500 years ago. The procedure of acupuncture has been used to treat and relieve symptoms of a wide range of diseases and conditions. Some of the conditions including headache, stress management, high blood pressure, arthritis, sciatica, varies pain management, reduce chemo side effects, and Mental Health issues, such as Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia, etc.
Apart from insertion of needles, which is used of pre-sterilized, disposable acupuncture needles or lancets to directly or indirectly stimulate acupuncture point and meridians. other treatments that can go parallel with Acupuncture are:
- Moxibustion (艾條) : a soft woolly mass prepared from ground young leaves, typically in form of sticks or cones, which are ignited and placed on or close to the skin or used to heat acupuncture needles.
- Electrical, Mechanical or Magnetic Stimulation of Acupuncture Points (電療): Using very small amounts of electricity to stimulate acupuncture points and meridians or using mechanical or magnetic devices to stimulate acupuncture points or meridians.
- Acupressure (指壓穴位): Traditional Chinese medical massage and manual therapy.
- Cupping (拔罐): Glass cups are placed on the skin with a vacuum created by heat or suction device.
- Dermal-friction Technique (Gua-sha) (刮痧): Friction is applied topically to the skin using a smooth object like ceramic spoon to relieve symptoms. Mostly is used for common colds.
- Infrared heat: Applying heat generated by an infrared lamp over a specific area of the body.
- Dietary Advice and Health Education Based on East Asian Medical Theory (食療): Suggestions for nutrition and herbal food products including herbs, vitamins, minerals, and dietary and nutritional supplements.
- East Asian Massage and Tui-Na (推拿): Bodywork characterized by kneading, pressing, rolling, shaking, and stretching of the body. This does not include spinal manipulation.
- Superficial Heat and Cold Therapy (熱冷治療法): Applied heat or cold pads on the affected area if needed.
- Liniments, Oils, and Plasters (藥膏): herbal formulas applied topically to the skin.
The tradition of acupuncture theory believes that energy flows within the human body through channels. This energy flow is called qi (氣). Acupuncture theory believes that this qi moves throughout the body along 12 main channels known as meridians (經絡). These meridians represent the major organs and functions of the body. Please understand the meridians are not followed the exact pathways like the nerves or the veins. Please also note that the organs that we mentioned in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are not the same as the Western Medicine.
I would like to introduce another technique that I frequently used to treat varies pain and achieved very good result with it. Patient responded to it very well and it’s called Die-Da (Hit medicine) 跌打?
- Chinese Hit Medicine (Traumatology) - 跌打
The hit medicine originated with martial arts masters, who needed medicine to heal wounds and speed the healing of their students or combatants so they could learn more quickly, recover more quickly, and get back out to battle sooner. It is a technique very similar with Tui-Na, which explained above but it also included herbal plaster and herbal ointment to speed up the healing process or reduce the pain.
There are varies forms of ointments that we used to achieve ideal healing. It includes:
- Die-Da Jiu - 跌打酒
Which literally translates to “fall hit wine”. Die-Da Jiu is made from Chinese herbs that are soaked in the wine for a long time to extract out the constituents of the herbs to achieve pain relive properties. A traditional jiu shouldn’t provide any particular sensation when being applied except slightly cooling sensation as the alcohol evaporates. When applied the jiu, you should notice the pain is slowly disappeared. Theory is to improve the blood circulation in the affected area. There is a saying in Chinese- Tong Ze Bu Tong, Ze Tong Bu Tong 痛則不通 ，通則不痛 - Where there is pain there is no flow, where there is flow there is no pain.
- Die-Da Yon - 跌打油
Translate as “fall hit oil”. It is wintergreen oil based and has similar effects as Die-Da Jiu but it penetrates into the muscles and effective area faster and remain in your body longer than wine.
Whether you are a martial artist or an athlete, frequently injured or bruising in one area can create accumulations of stagnant qi and blood, which can lead to serious health problems as you age. Die-Da Jiu or Die-Da Yon can disperse these accumulations and promote a healthy body and longer career even the injured occurred long time ago, the Die-Da Yon or Jiu can still help to recover.
Acupuncture and Other Treatments That Can Go Parallel with Acupuncture
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Tender Rock Counseling Center & Acupuncture Clinic
- Non Profit Organization | Counselors with Christian Faith
Bellevue / Factoria / Eastside, Washington
- Non Profit Organization | Counselors with Christian Faith
Bellevue / Factoria / Eastside, Washington
