About Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

     Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated, and prevented illness for over twenty-three centuries.  It is a deep medicine that strives to work  at the root level of disease focusing always on balance of the whole person.  Chinese Medicine at a fundamental level works by harmonizing the five body Constituents:  Qi (pronounced "chee"), Blood, Body Fluid, Spirit and Essence.  Qi is the animating force that gives us our capacity to move, think, feel and function.  Blood is the material foundation out of which we create bones, nerves, skin, muscles and organs.  Body fluid is the liquid medium which protects, nurtures and lubricates tissue.  Spirit is the immaterial expression of the individual.  Essence represents the body’s reproductive and regenerative substance.
   Chinese Medicine appreciates the impact of the unseen upon the visible.  Though it is impossible to measure thoughts or emotions, they are acknowledged, both in Eastern and Western Medicine,  as inextricably linked to physiology.  
   The practitioner assesses a persons constitution by feeling the pulse at each wrist, by observing the color and form of the face, tongue and body and by asking a series of questions aimed at illuminating the underlying cause of disease and holistic picture of the patients lifestyle.
  Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine, hair like in diameter needles  at specific points in the body to stimulate, disperse, and regulate the flow of qi, or vital energy, and restore a healthy energy balance.