Having followed and studied under Jeffrey Yuen for many years, my acupuncture focuses in on understanding the root causes of illness and on how to build a treatment strategy tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Jeffrey Yuen is the 88th generation Daoist priest in the Jade Purity Tradition that dates back to the Han Dynasty. He teaches and transmits ancient knowledge about our life systems and ways to preserve health. This is the core of the treatment plan for patients. This system gives me the ability investigate deeply into patient’s medical issues. It also provides a way to incorporate other modalities with the understanding of how all things work together for health or unwellness.
Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) transmits generations of knowledge of Qi dynamics and how it affects our body essence and consciousness. These are called the Three Treasures, Shen-Qi-Jing. All three of these need to be safely guarded, cultivated and at times treated. We work with how these levels of our being are tied to the elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Over time, we help you to deal with current medical issues and help you build upon your resources for long term health.
What are some key concepts about acupuncture?
We use pulse diagnosis to determine the imbalances of all channels and their corresponding levels.
What is an acupuncture point according to the classical literature?
What are the basic concepts of how acupuncture and other similar tools work?
What are the types of needles and tools used?
What other modalities are used?
Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) transmits generations of knowledge of Qi dynamics and how it affects our body essence and consciousness. These are called the Three Treasures, Shen-Qi-Jing. All three of these need to be safely guarded, cultivated and at times treated. We work with how these levels of our being are tied to the elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Over time, we help you to deal with current medical issues and help you build upon your resources for long term health.
What are some key concepts about acupuncture?
We use pulse diagnosis to determine the imbalances of all channels and their corresponding levels.
- 12 Primary Meridians
- 12 Tendinomuscular Meridians
- 12 Luo Connecting Vessels
- 12 Divergent Meridians
- 12 Cutaneous Regions
- 8 Extraordinary Vessels
What is an acupuncture point according to the classical literature?
- Original term: Xué 穴 meaning cave, cavity, hole, acupuncture point
- The moving power, at the center of this space, is clear, quiet, and subtle. Ling Shu, ch. 1
- "The sections or junctions of the body consist of 365 meetings or acupuncture points. With a knowledge of its importance, each word can have a result. Without knowing its importance, we thoroughly scatter the flow. Those which are called sections or acupuncture points refer to the place where the spirit qi and its flowing movement, out and in, is unhampered by skin, flesh, muscle, or bone.” Ling Shu, ch. 1
- “All of acupuncture's laws first must be rooted in the spirit.” Ling Shu, ch. 8
- Today we use many more points according to different family lineages, holographic imaging and clinical findings over the centuries.
What are the basic concepts of how acupuncture and other similar tools work?
- From one of our most ancient medical texts, the Huang Di Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Inner Cannon, it states, “bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong, 不通這痛,痛則不通” – blocked flow, pain; free flow, no pain
- It is a disruption of what we call Qi, or dynamic force.
- The Yellow Emperor asked: What energy causes sudden pain in the five viscera of the human body?
- Chi-Po replied: The energy of meridians flows without stop, it circulates in the meridians continually; when the cold energy penetrates into the meridians, it will cause obstructions and slow down the circulation. If the vicious energy resides in the external region of meridians as guest, it will cause a scarcity of blood; if it resides in the internal region of meridians as guest, it will cause a stoppage of energy circulation which results in sudden pain. A Complete Translation of Yellow Emperor’s Classics of Internal Medicine, (Nei Jing and Nan Jing), #301 Volume One (Su Wen), Henry C. Lu
- From a western biomedical perspective, acupuncture can affect these physical aspects.
- inhibits nociceptive transmission which is how the nervous system transmits pain signals to the spinal cord and brain
- improves blood flow which is the basis for how the body regenerates and protects tissues
- inhibits inflammation which is a leading cause of chronic longterm disease states
- reduces muscle tension and spasm from overuse and injury
- resets proprioceptive mechanisms and structural posture helping the person gain more stability
- affects the autonomic nervous system and its overall effect of stress on the body
- releases opiates for pain relief
What are the types of needles and tools used?
- We use many different types of tools. Some are needles that are inserted into the skin. Others are not inserted and are gently used on top of the skin to affect the underlying tissues deeply.
- Acupuncture needles - thin stainless steel needles that penetrate the skin to affect underlying tissue
- Teishin - non-insertive tools that use different precious metals such as gold, silver and copper to activate points
- Gua Sha - rubbing techniques to increase blood flow into the local area
What other modalities are used?
- Moxabustion is a form of treatment what uses the herb mugwort or artemisia argyi, Ai Ye 艾叶. The herb smolders and creates a deeply penetrating infrared warmth that promotes healing of tissues. In Chinese medicine, the herb is considered to be deeply warming. It ”enters the three channels of Liver, Spleen and Kidney as yang within blood." (Ben Cao Shu Gou Xuan).
- Mugwort is harvested a few days before the Summer Solstice just before it is about to flower. It has been traditionally harvested in this way on either the third day of the third lunar month or the fifth day of the fifth lunar month for three thousand years. The Ai Ye is harvested when the moon is waxing, the Yang is increasing, and the Sun is at its highest point in the sky. It is harvested at this time in order to retain the Yang potency in the leaves to most effectively clear away cold stagnation and its associated medley of diseases within the body. actcm.edu
- Cupping is a therapeutic method in Chinese medicine used as far back as the Han Dynasty as well as an ancient method dating back to Egypt, as seen in the Ebers Papyrus document, 1550 BCE. Galen discusses this in 2nd century CE, Greece. And it is a folk therapy currently throughout Asia, Middle East, Latin America.
- Functions:
- Regulates Qi and Blood
- Moving cupping helps both blood and lymph circulation
- Stimulates sensory nerves in the skin and autonomic nervous system
- Helps draw out external pathogenic factors
- Opens pores, releases the exterior
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