Posted in Acupuncture, Culture, Curiosity, Health, Herbs, Language, Wellness on Aug 21st, 2008 No Comments »
There is a method of telling fortunes in Taiwan. Actually, there are many methods of telling fortunes in Taiwan. 算命先生 fortune tellers in Taiwan are as numerous as psychotherapists in any trendy west coast American city, and for the most part serve the same function. Which is to help us ask the questions that get [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, Health, Medicine, Wellness on May 30th, 2008 No Comments »
Unless we have been involved in some accident, we don’t get to our current state of health overnight. It often a journey of years of slow accumulative action. Days slide into weeks, slide into months, then we wonder where the years went. Along with our agility, digestion, flexibility or mental clarity. It is a [...]
Posted in Acupuncture on Jan 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
It is a question as common as rain in Seattle.
How does acupuncture work?
Us westerners like to think of nerves and endorphins, MRI lightshows and double-blind glimpses of reality. We want to know. Know if it works (just ask someone who has used it!), and how it does what it does.
After ten years of using [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, Health, Medicine, Wellness on Dec 5th, 2007 No Comments »
1- Acupuncture is not just for treating pain.
2- You don’t have to “believe” in it for it to work.
Heck, the practitioner does not even need to believe in it for it to work.
3- Anxiety or depression are not simply psychological problems.
4- There are no [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, Curiosity, Wellness on Jun 28th, 2007 1 Comment »
Asking an acupuncturist about acupuncture can give you plenty of information about the use and curative effects of acupuncture, but to get at the experience of acupuncture, ask a patient.
Recently, I had a patient tell me this about the experience of acupuncture:
The sensation is like that of food prepared with just the right amount of [...]
Posted in Acupuncture on May 24th, 2007 2 Comments »
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Contrary to what you see on those charts hanging quietly on the wall at the office of your neighborhood acupuncturist, acupuncture points are not dots that can be found with a measuring stick and location book.
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It is not that they are elusive. Nor is it true that the measurement instructions in the books are not [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, Medicine on Mar 8th, 2007 1 Comment »
People in Seattle are savvy about acupuncture.
There is a buzz about Japanese acupuncture, and how it is gentle to the point of no feeling. Five Element with its focus on the psychology. Regular old common yard-dog Chinese styled acupuncture with its flying needles style. And the protocols for Ear acupuncture, that are often used for [...]
Posted in Acupuncture on Mar 2nd, 2007 No Comments »
I learn something new about acupuncture all the time.
Sometimes from a book.
Or a teacher.
Or seminar.
But, generally these days these days I learn it from my experience.
And most often, I learn from the experience of my patients.
Acupuncture, like any specialty has its own language which to the uninitiated sounds like…well…Chinese.
Us acupunks, learn to think in terms [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, Curiosity, Health, Medicine, Wellness on Feb 8th, 2007 No Comments »
It is a common question. I hear it all the time.
All acupuncturists hear it.
All the time.
Can acupuncture treat backache, asthma, assist weight loss, depression……?
Can acupuncture help me with my memory, my lack of energy, my annoying boyfriend……..?
Will acupuncture cure my urinary infection, reduce my appetite, erase my wrinkles, take 20 years off my knees?
These [...]
Posted in Acupuncture, China, Health, Herbs, Medicine, Prostate, Travel on Oct 12th, 2006 No Comments »
We use the phrase “turn a corner”, but more often than not, it is more like following a road with a long wide curve. Gradually, gradually, without any particular notice, it dawns like a Fall morning of slanting yellow light..
…..it’s different now.
I remember being amazed that acupuncture works.
Now, I’m surprised when it doesn’t.
Is it the [...]