Chinese medicine is one of the oldest and most comprehensive medical systems in the world. It has been misunderstood in the west, mostly due to poor translations of ancient Chinese medical texts.

The Chinese correctly identified the heart and its vascular system a thousand years before the birth of Christ. The blood vessels were even categorized according to whether they flowed away from the heart (arteries) or whether they flowed toward the heart (veins.)

They stated that 3 things were flowing in the blood vessels (xue mai):

1. Vital air or oxygen (qi)
2. Blood (xue)
3. Nutrients extracted from food (ying qi)

How they were able to determine that oxygen or “vital air” was in the blood is remarkable.

The oldest medical text that has survived is the Huang Di Nei Jing. It is composed of two parts. It is a very large volume, about a 1000 pages. The first section is on human anatomy, physiology, how the organs function and theories of disease aka pathophysiology. The second part is on treatment through acupuncture, Chinese herbs and more.

It states that we breath in what is known as the da qi. Da means great, qi means air. The lungs extract the essence of the air, aka the da qi. The qi enters into the bloodstream through the lungs, then the blood and the qi are transferred to the heart to be pumped to the entire body.

It’s truly remarkable they were able to figure this out a thousand years before Christ, because after all, it wasn’t until 1628 when Dr. William Harvey proclaimed he had discovered the circulatory system. The Chinese were talking about this 2000 years previously!

The ancient words for vessel and vital air were mistranslated in the early 1930’s by Soulie de Morant. He mistranslated the word qi as “energy” and the word mai as “meridian.”

Philologists unanimously agree that neither of these two words existed in the ancient Han language. Interestingly enough, they are two of the most commonly used words today when referencing Chinese medicine.

Your thinking, feeling, and mood are what make-up your mental health. When the health of your mind starts to decline, your ability to relate to others and function each day becomes challenging. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Depression is one of the most common symptoms we treat.

Depression and Anxiety

It’s estimated that 16.2 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode in a given year. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common diseases we treat at the clinic. In Chinese Medicine there are at least 10 different causes of these conditions. First, we use Pulse Diagnosis to determine the cause. Once we are certain of the cause, we can provide a treatment plan. By properly diagnosing the causes of emotional disturbance, we assist our patients in finding the appropriate treatment, even if it is not in our clinic.

Addiction

Addiction creates a body-wide imbalance that affects the physical and mental health of anyone who suffers from this disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) listed 64 medical problems that are considered suitable for acupuncture treatment, including the treatment of smoking, drug, or alcohol addiction. At Acupuncture Huntington Beach, we treat our patients with the most effective methods using both acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which greatly increases the success rate. In many cases, we will also use auricular (ear) acupressure to help the patient retain the effects of acupuncture between treatments. 

ADD, ADHD

These developmental conditions affect around 7% of children and around 5% of adults. Acupuncture offers proven benefits with no harmful side effects.  In Chinese Medicine, the most common causes of ADD are either weakness of the lung, adrenal gland, and thyroid combined with anemia. Additionally, there may be excessive inflammation in the body causing enormous agitation. In either case, Chinese Medicine is a safe alternative and effective treatment, especially with children, in restoring the natural vitality and focus to the human body.

Insomnia

70 million US Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Sleep is the time when your body and mind are fully recovering. Lack of sleep can lead to many other symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, and/or digestive disorders. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is usually a symptom of lack of heart health and function, not simply a disease of its own. Instead of getting a prescription with countless side-effects, many people turn to acupuncture and herbs. Insomnia is often the result of a dysfunction in the heart or liver. If blood flow to the heart is even slightly diminished, the patient will have a hard time falling asleep.

Acupuncture falls under the umbrella of Chinese Medicine. Other Chinese Medicine healing modalities include herbal medicine, qi-gong and tui-na.

Maybe you’re feeling well and don’t think you need it or maybe you’re not sure if your symptoms can be treated with acupuncture.

Many people don’t realize that acupuncture is for everyone. It can treat many medical conditions and is excellent for prevention and maintaining a healthy body & mind

1. Reduce Stress

Our modern lives put a lot of pressure on our bodies and minds. Everything from our work to the number of notifications on our phone. Our bodies are perpetually stressed or in the “fight-or-flight-or-freeze” mode of our nervous system. Acupuncture is used to relax the nervous system by putting you in a state of calm and relaxation. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything at all, aside from showing up to your appointment.

2. Improve Sleep

70 million US Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Sleep is the time when your body and mind are fully recovering. Lack of sleep can lead to many other symptoms like pain, anxiety and/or digestive disorders. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is a symptom of lack of health and function, not simply a disease of its own. Instead of getting a prescription with countless possible side-effects, many people turn to acupuncture. Insomnia is often the result of a dysfunction in the heart or liver. If blood flow to the heart is slightly diminished, the patient will have a hard time falling asleep.

3. Boost Your Energy

Very similar to stress, many people are dragging their feet in the morning, lack motivation and simply feel fatigued and hazy. Acupuncture can provide your body deep rest and the right kind of stimulation for bright energy in the morning and stamina for your day to day.

4. Relieve Pain

More than 76.2 million US Americans suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain, whether from a pinched nerve, sciatica, arthritis or other conditions can be very frustrating and debilitating for your mind and body. It is often difficult to treat nerve pain with traditional medications as nerve pain doesn’t respond well to prescription pain relievers. Acupuncture is scientifically proven to boost the effectiveness of standard medical care and lessen the severity of chronic pain.

5. Keep You Strong & Healthy

The science behind acupuncture is now showing that patients who receive acupuncture have elevated immune-enhancing hormones and blood counts for up to three days after a treatment.

Chinese herbal medicine is effective at both strengthening the immune system to prevent illness and speed along recovery time.

Conclusion

Are you more curious about acupuncture now? We hope so! Be sure to reach out to us with questions or schedule an appointment today.