Heilongjiang Province, China – January 1900
Snow covered the ground. Underneath the snow – ice, centimeters thick – crunched as the old woman walked. She was bundled against the frigid cold, but the layers of clothing did little to stop the chill or the ache in her bones. The cold was causing harm to her yang energy and she braved the storm to see her acupuncturist. He would put right what nature’s brutal winter had thrown out of balance. The pain was intense, but she was comforted to know that there would be no charge for her acupuncturist’s attention. Until he had restored the balance, she would not pay him. This was tradition. It was yin and yang. Symmetry.
This story illustrates what acupuncture has traditionally been used for in Chinese medicine. The idea behind acupuncture treatments had more to do with maintaining balance – maintaining health than it did with simply treating symptoms.
Many of us live our lives going from one ailment to the next. Our busy lives don’t always allow much time for self-care. We are so focused on the next meeting, the next phone call or deadline that we forget our bodies are a temple we need to sustain. Stress adds to this general sense of malaise as does poor diet and lack of exercise. We are often living our lives by running in place, stuck in a single gear and never realising that there is anything wrong. We are convinced this stagnation is normal and something to live with rather than break through.
Acupuncture aims to keep the body’s meridian system in total balance. Block one meridian point and it can throw the entire delicate system out of equilibrium. This, in turn, can cause pain and illness.
Traditionally, the patients who received the most benefit from acupuncture were those that worked with their practitioner to achieve and preserve meridian system symmetry. Acupuncture treatments are designed to remove meridian system blockages, this removal of blockages in turn leads to a healthier and more vibrant you.
This symmetry, this equilibrium – means that you can live your life to the fullest. You are likely to have more energy and less illness. Your pain levels will be under control and your body can relax and fire on all cylinders.
Using acupuncture as a preventative – to keep your meridian system balanced and working in harmony – is one way to ensure that you retain your health and well-being while being able to take your energy levels to new and amazing heights!