“Acupuncturists are the electricians of the human body, using gentle stimulation of the electrical meridians of the body to aid it in its miraculous self-regeneration.”
All of Chinese Medical Acupuncture turns on the concept of qi (chi). But what is it? Is it real? Is it a “new age” concept or an outdated leftover of pre-modern superstition?
I define Qi as an intelligent energy which permeates the body. If you doubt its existence, than I invite you to a thought experiment. When you cut your finger, who fixes it? We all know the wound heals, or in other words the tissues are rebuilt, protected, and stitched together in an incredible act of organic engineering. All of this happens without your conscious involvement or knowledge. The intelligent energy that heals the wound is qi.
In fact qi is not a mysterious energy at all. In essence it is nothing more than electromagnetic energy. Yet qi is more than electromagnetic energy- it is the electromagnetic energy generated and circulated in a purposeful manner by a biological organism. Qi is constantly flowing through your body in uncountable ways. It is generated by food and air (Guqi and Feiqi in Chinese) on the basis of Yuanqi, or the “Source Qi” of the body, which is a complex pattern of energy organized by your genetic code. The genetic code corresponds in Chinese Medicine to the ancient concept of Jing, a substance from which the rest of the body grows in an ordered manner, and is the mother of Source Qi.
In the 20th century our understanding of Qi was enhanced by studies on animals who can regenerate limbs of their bodies like salamanders. One doctor found that when a salamander lost a limb an electrical current was generated at the site of the injury. This current energized and ordered the complete regeneration of a new limb out of a clot of congealed blood at the site. Although human bodies are too complex to regenerate in the same manner, a startling and little known fact is that the ability is not completely lost to us. Children under the age of 6 who lose the tip of one their fingers are able to grow a new one. This obscure but fascinating fact was written up in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery over forty years ago, but is little known today even among doctors (Illingworth, C.M (1974) ‘Trapped fingers and amputated finger tips in children.’ J. Pediatr. Surg. 9, 6, 853-858, quoted in Keown, Daniel, The Spark in the Machine, Singing Dragon, USA 2014).
Robert Becker, an Orthopedic MD famous for his investigations of electromagnetism, was one of the few western physicians of recent times to take up the issue of using metals and electricity to speed healing of tissues (Becker, R.O. and Seldon, G (1985) The Body Electric. New York, NY: Morrow.). But this is an ancient approach in Chinese medicine, and the daily pursuit of acupuncturists. Acupuncturists are the electricians of the human body, using gentle stimulation of the electrical meridians of the body to aid it in its miraculous self-regeneration.
Acupuncturists do not add anything to your body, and we do not heal you. All we do is connect with and stimulate your body’s natural bioelectromagnetism, or Qi, in order to help your body heal itself.
Next week, read on while we take on the challenge of answering the question what are acupuncture meridians, really?
Wishing you well,
Matthew, RAc.
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