As an acupuncturist, I have tried to answer many variations of this classic question over the decades. For the clients, it is always beneficial to intellectually understand what happens during the acupuncture sessions, and I feel that it is my duty to be able to explain the mechanism of the pain relief by acupuncture in […]
Tag Archives: Portland acupuncture
Acupuncture can address knee pain. One of the common reasons for knee pain is osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Osteoarthritis is defined as “a degenerative joint disease, in which the tissues in the joint break down over time” by NIH. It is the most common knee problem that I encounter, and it could also be one of the most difficult cases to treat with acupuncture.
A condition commonly known as tennis elbow is pain felt on the outside of the elbow. It is due to the inflammation or minor tear of the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow.
The name, tennis elbow, suggests that it is caused by tightly gripping a racket and engaging in a back hand stroke with poor technique. However, it does not affect just tennis players. Overuse of the hands and forearm may cause inflammation or minor tear of the extensor muscles on the forearm for anybody.
The name of this point is 四讀, Shi Toku (Japanese) or Si Du (Chinese). It means “Four Rivers”. Apparently, it indicates the region in China where the Yellow River and three other large rivers merge, and the name suggests “big currents”. I think it is reasonable to assume that this point is where big currents of Blood or Qi occur.
All the organ systems are equally important in keeping the body in balance, but, for an acupuncturist, Kidney (in an Eastern Medical sense) takes precedence in the assessment of a patient. This is because Kidney is considered as the source of our vitality, controls Yin/Yang balance, plays an important role in reproduction, etc. The list […]
A Chinese classic, Su Wen素問, indicates that pensiveness is the normal emotional state that Spleen supports. In a healthy individual, Spleen should provide good memory and mental calmness to handle affairs in a thoughtful manner. From this perspective, Spleen 脾 (in Eastern Medicine) is not just an organ; rather, Spleen represents the digestive functional unit […]
In this article, I would like to discuss 魂 (Kon in Japanese, Hun in Chinese). This Chinese character is commonly used to describe “soul” and gives us the impression of passion and achievement when we see it. This character is often used in such context in our culture. In Eastern Medicine, the character indicates “ethereal […]
When the lungs are healthy, they support the functions of 魄 (Haku in Japanese and Po in Chinese). It is difficult to translate Haku because there is no contemporary equivalence. If you can divide the concept of “spirit” into the ethereal and the corporeal, this is the corporeal aspect of the spirit.
One of our diagnostic tools is abdominal palpation. Some acupuncturists palpate a client’s abdomen to observe the muscular tension, aortic pulsation, and tenderness of the acupuncture points and channels in the abdomen to assess the overall condition of the client.
Acupuncturists tend to associate cold feet and hands with the imbalance of the liver function. There is a set of four acupuncture points called Four Gates that are used to improve the circulation of not only the extremities but the whole body. One point is Liver 3, and the other point is Large Intestine 4. As shown in the illustration, these points are in similar structures. LV 3 is between the first and the second metatarsals, and LI 4 is between the first and the second metacarpals.
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