It is easy to think that acupuncture is simply about needles. We see Internet images of a forest of needles thunk’ed into the perfect skin of an enticing model sprawled on a white-toweled spa table. Or, catch glimpses of Doctor Oz granting his M.D. credentialed approval of a medicine he has not studied. There are the jokes about Voodoo and pincushions, along with not inappropriate skepticism. Here in the west, we easily mistake the use of needles for acupuncture.
If only it were that simple.
Acupuncture is not about sticking needles into people. It is about being able to see how a patient’s back pain, menstrual irregularities, digestive reflux, headaches, neck pain or other frustration is constellated and held in place. To practice acupuncture effectively it is essential to understand the root of the problem. How it came into being, and how it is sustained. Concise diagnosis is the key, which in turn leads the practitioner to knowing just where to place the needle to call a healing response.
Acupuncture is not about sticking needles into people. It is about knowing where to engage certain points of influence that stimulate the body to heal itself. In truth, the needles don’t do the work of healing; they simply serve as reminders. Thus helping our body to remember how to return to the balance and vitality that Nature has bestowed upon us