All over the world today, alternative medicine from the East is gaining a lot of popularity and a growing following. Medical experts are now recognizing the merits of this more organic way of treating patients, as alternative treatments emphasize the importance of holistic health. In accordance with oriental philosophy, this tradition of medicine postulates that the key to curing any ailments is to restore balance in the person’s body. This means that every organ in the body must be functioning properly and harmoniously with one another. Any illness, therefore, is the result of disharmony or imbalance among the organs’ functions. Also, eastern medicine teaches that being healthy not only pertains to physical fitness—it also entails mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

One of the most popular alternative treatments in use today is the art of acupuncture. This system of medicine is rooted in Chinese antiquity. Archaeological evidence can date it back to at least 1100 BCE. It works by sticking needles into specific areas of the body to take care of aches and sores, as well as improve circulation.

How acupunture works

Acupuncture is based on the belief that a person’s well-being hinges upon the regulated flow of chi (or qi, meaning life energy) through various organ systems in the body. Needles are applied on pressure points on the skin that overlies the body’s vital organs which are the lungs, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, gallbladder, and the liver.

In traditional Chinese medicine, these organ systems are collectively referred to as San Jiao, which roughly means ‘triple heater‘ or ‘triple burner‘. Such a moniker may pertain to the function of these organs in metabolism.

Metabolism is the process by which the body’s vitality is maintained. It includes the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients, the use of these nutrients to generate new cells and tissue, and the expulsion of bodily waste and toxins. Metabolism is the mechanism by which the body regulates itself. In a sense, the cyclic process of metabolism can be equated to the Chinese concept of chi.

Inserting needles into specific areas of the skin is believed to stimulate the function of the organ systems, or San Jiao. And this is how acupuncture promotes the flow of chi, and ultimately, a person’s health and well-being.