One of the most remarkable things about acupuncture is its ability to treat both the body and the mind. One of the basic precepts of Chinese Medicine (the basis of acupuncture) is that the mind and body are one, you cannot divide them in any sense, they are intimately connected. A number of conclusions follow from this basic tenet. One is that the mind can affect the body, and likewise the body can affect the mind. The Chinese recognised much earlier than western medicine that physical illness could arise as a result of mental distress and so paid a lot of attention to maintaining the health of both through acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Qi Gong.
A second important conclusion is that you can treat the mind through a physical intervention in the body, and this is where acupuncture comes in. Each human has a network of twelve channels or meridians that traverse their body from head to toe and these are punctuated by acupuncture points that are potential gateways to the psyche. Many of them have special names denoting their influence such as ’Gate of Hope’ (Liv 14), ’Root of the Spirit’ (GB 13), ’Spirit Storehouse’ (Kid 25), ’Spirit Gate’ (Ht 7), ’Spirit Path’ (Ht 4) amongst many others. These points can be used to treat common emotional imbalances such as irritability/rage, stress, anxiety, panic attack, obsession, depression, sadness, grief/loss, lack of joy, fear/phobia and in fact pretty much any emotional distress known to humanity. There have been clinical studies on the effect of acupuncture on schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and panic disorder – subjects for further bloggs!
And so it is possible for the practitioner of acupuncture to discern the temperament of an individual and choose acupuncture points that will bring emotional balance back. If you would like to know more give me a ring or check out my website at www.acuweb.org.uk .
