Torbay Acupuncture Centre is a member of ACMAC

How does Acupuncture Work

Acupuncture is an ancient form of healing which has been practiced for thousands of years. Unlike western medicine, which developed through carefully studying the component parts of the human body, Chinese medicine took its inspiration from the outside world. Observations were made of the way in which nature functioned and these patterns and rhythms where then identified in human beings.

All of nature hangs in an intricate balance, and in the same way, a human being in good health, also displays physical and emotional equilibrium.

When this balance is shaken through the vicissitudes of life, disease can often result. Sometimes it will manifest in physical illness, sometimes in mental, emotional or psychological difficulties. Acupuncture treatment offers a away to redress the balance, restoring harmony and stability to the entire system.

Qi and the Channels
Our bodies are constructed out of numerous interconnected networks. The most fundamental of these is the skeleton, on top of this comes the muscles, then the arteries and veins and finally the complex lymphatic and nervous systems. Chinese medicine adds one more network to these, and that is the channels of Qi that provide the energy required by all the others to function.

These channels form a network which the Chinese have compared to an irrigation system for the land. If they are neglected the the water in the system may dry up, starving the surrounding area of nourishment. Conversely, dams may form, causing backlogs and blockages in the flow.

This analogy of Qi ‘flowing like water’ also gives us some idea of where the acupuncture points are likely to arise. If you imagine the way in which water flows in a river, certain physical obstructions will cause it to back up or form eddies. This is also true of Qi, therefore, most acupuncture points can be found where bones flare out or join, or where two bones form a physical obstacle similar to a dam.

When we are put under physical or emotional pressure, our channel systems can become bocked or depleted causing an imbalance in Qi and eventually illness. Acupuncture lets the energy flow freely again, nourishing and clearing in order to restore health.

The flow of Qi can be disturbed by a number of factors: emotional states, such as anxiety, stress, fear, anger or grief; poor nutrition; extreme weather conditions; lifestyle; hereditary factors and infectious agents.

Acupuncture is the method through which this energy can be accessed. Skilful and in depth questioning leads to a unique diagnosis of any weaknesses or blockages of Qi in your system, which can then be harmonised by the insertion of very fine needles into carefully selected points along the channels.