{"id":1817,"date":"2017-11-06T23:13:10","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T04:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=1817"},"modified":"2020-02-17T08:41:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T13:41:40","slug":"acupuncture-actually-a-practical-look-at-qi-and-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=1817","title":{"rendered":"Acupuncture, Actually: A Practical Look at Qi and \u2018Energy\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Grace Rollins,\u00a0Bucks County Aikido<\/a><\/p>\n

Paolo Propato and Grace Rollins, licensed acupuncturists at Bridge Acupuncture, discuss the\u00a0energetics of acupuncture and what it\u2019s like to work and train in their field of Chinese medicine.<\/p>\n

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Paolo: What is qi?
\nGrace: Many people think of qi as \u201cenergy\u201d, but I think that\u2019s too materialistic of a translation. Qi\u00a0is basically a very useful term that sums up complex processes that together create\u00a0recognizable phenomena in the body. If you try to think of qi as some kind of literal substance or\u00a0force you\u2019re just going to frustrate people interested in scientific backing; you won\u2019t find a\u00a0measurable \u201cenergy\u201d that corresponds to what people who practice Asian medicine are talking\u00a0about.<\/p>\n

\u201cQi\u201d for acupuncturists is \u201cweather\u201d as it relates to the body. Weather is electromagnetic and\u00a0gravitational relationships between elements and molecules; it\u2019s pressure dynamics,
\nthermodynamics, radiation; it\u2019s many processes, all overlapping and influencing each other. We\u00a0can study it, characterize it and make predictions about it. The same way that we recognize\u00a0many patterns in weather, we learn how to recognize patterns in qi, so we can influence bodily\u00a0functions and promote health.<\/p>\n

P: What do acupuncture methods actually do?
\nG: The traditional answer is that they stimulate special points that harmonize qi in the body,\u00a0thereby promoting proper function and health. Scientifically, stimulating acupuncture points with\u00a0needles and moxa has been shown to generate complex responses.<\/p>\n

Needling causes distortions in chains of connective tissue throughout the body, which linkdifferent muscle groups, joints and organs. It also fires nerve endings that light up vastly
\ndifferent areas of the brain and spinal cord. Acupuncture causes an electrical distortion in the\u00a0body\u2019s electromagnetic field\u2014you\u2019re putting a metal needle into an ionic solution (the body)\u00a0which immediately creates an electrical polarity. The micro-injury caused by needling and moxa\u00a0heat is also a very powerful method of stimulating the immune system and cytokines (chemical\u00a0messengers). Plus, with acupuncture needles you can physically loosen tight muscle and\u00a0connective tissue to release restrictions and improve blood flow.<\/p>\n

I think one of the challenges in studying acupuncture scientifically is that its methods do so
\nmuch, all at once. One exact mechanism eludes us. That\u2019s why, even though I have a very
\nscientifically oriented mind, I still prefer the traditional Chinese and Japanese pre-scientific
\ntheoretical concepts. We still haven\u2019t discovered a better way to describe the complex
\nprocesses happening here.<\/p>\n

P: What makes acupuncture unique compared to other modalities that work with the subtle\u00a0energy of the body?
\nG: Acupuncture is old, people! Over 2,500 years old! Moxibustion, the practice of heating
\nacupoints with the ember of dried mugwort, is even older. So even though acupuncture is
\ndealing with complexities that resist the scientific method, it has withstood a very important test\u00a0with its continued use over such a long period of time.
\nA good scientist remains open-minded to the things that science doesn\u2019t yet have the tools to\u00a0measure and explain. That applies to a lot of what happens in healing. But that doesn\u2019t mean\u00a0you have to be open-minded to everything. Innovation is good. It helps our medicine get better\u00a0and better, but with a methodology that is mainly observational, you have to be careful not to be\u00a0led astray.<\/p>\n

For this reason, I approach change cautiously, and I gravitate toward Japanese acupuncture,\u00a0which monitors feedback during the session. We\u2019re always checking diagnostic qualities in the\u00a0pulse, the abdomen or a symptomatic area for signs that our treatments are having the desired\u00a0effect. Vetting my methods this way gives me confidence.<\/p>\n

P: What are you feeling for before, during and after needling?
\nG: Patients like to ask me if I can \u201cfeel the energy,\u201d and if you think of it like qi, the summation of\u00a0complex processes, then the answer is absolutely yes. We rely on touch, smell, sight and sound\u00a0to collect information about the patient\u2014especially touch in Japanese acupuncture. If I have to\u00a0wear a Band-Aid on just one finger, I feel like I have a hand tied behind my back\u2014it affects what\u00a0I can feel.<\/p>\n

Before needling, I\u2019m feeling diagnostically for areas of restriction, imbalance and dysfunction in\u00a0the patient. This might be structural, as in certain muscle groups or vertebral bodies that are too\u00a0tight, twisted or compressed. Often internal imbalances will also be represented by certain\u00a0qualities in the pulse, on the tongue or in reflective zones of the abdomen and back. For\u00a0example, cardiac problems often show up with specific tender points on the upper torso and\u00a0back.<\/p>\n

Next I\u2019m feeling for an appropriate point location; there are traditional anatomical locations as\u00a0well as certain qualities that identify a \u201clive\u201d point. Depending on the point, it might be a
\nrecessed area, a tight spot, a tender spot, thicker skin or connective tissue\u2014qualities that
\nindicate a more effective point. When I insert the needle, there is a feeling I seek that
\nacupuncturists call the \u201carrival of qi\u201d. To me it\u2019s like a density on the end of the needle, like it\u2019s\u00a0connected well. Learning to recognize it is part of our craft.<\/p>\n

After needling I will re-check the diagnostic signs to see if the acupuncture was successful at\u00a0balancing the qi. If I did a good job there should be signs of improvement; if not, I might need\u00a0another point, or a different one, or to add moxa, for example.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also feeling the qi of the person as a whole. This is the intuitive part, synthesizing the input\u00a0from all of my senses.<\/p>\n

P: How do you cultivate the necessary skills?
\nG: I started studying acupuncture at the same time I started studying Aikido and Zen meditation. \u00a0Like acupuncture, Aikido trains the various senses of the body to harmonize with another\u00a0person\u2019s qi. These practices help me to be more centered and attuned to my patients, and to\u00a0myself.<\/p>\n

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An invaluable part of my training is a regular apprenticeship with the acupuncture master Kiiko\u00a0Matsumoto. I spend at least two or three weeks a year shadowing her here and in Japan, taking\u00a0in practical knowledge as well as the qi of her practice\u2014the complex combination of qualities\u00a0that allow her to be a dynamic, effective practitioner.<\/p>\n

Taking my own health seriously is also a critical way that I stay attuned to the balance of qi in\u00a0others. I believe in it, I live it! I work on my posture throughout the day and study how to move in\u00a0a way that\u2019s healthy and efficient. I try to eat in a way that\u2019s balanced ecologically, that doesn\u2019t\u00a0do me harm and that fills me with vitality. I get outdoors and experience the natural world to help\u00a0keep those areas of my consciousness and humanity alive. I meditate, do yoga and exercise a\u00a0lot, and I try to play and have fun. Last but not least, I get regular acupuncture!<\/p>\n

Bridge Acupuncture, located at 30 Garden Alley, in Doylestown, is a Legacy Advertising partner\u00a0of Natural Awakenings of Bucks and Montgomery Counties.<\/p>\n

To schedule an appointment with\u00a0Paolo Propato or Grace Rollins, call 215-348-8058 or visit BridgeAcupuncture.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Grace Rollins,\u00a0Bucks County Aikido Paolo Propato and Grace Rollins, licensed acupuncturists at Bridge Acupuncture, discuss the\u00a0energetics of acupuncture and what it\u2019s like to work and train in their field of Chinese medicine.   Paolo: What is qi? Grace: Many people think of qi as \u201cenergy\u201d, but I think that\u2019s too materialistic of a translation. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Acupuncture, Actually: A Practical Look at Qi and \u2018Energy\u2019”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medical-and-health-advice"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2RSKg-tj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1817"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2529,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817\/revisions\/2529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}