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There is no doubt in my mind that acupuncture works, but just why it works, and how it works are still open questions. Acupuncture is used in the general area of treatment of the sick, and also generally, there are only two methods of treatment - Chinese and Western - both are based on two different philosophies. How we view acupuncture therefore depends on which philosophy we believe, or which culture we come from. Acupuncture may work on a cat too, but in this case the cat has no understanding as to why it is helped, therefore the issue is twofold. Medically, and in a practical way, acupuncture works, but philosophically, there is more than one reason, and each reason depends on what you bring to the phenomenon rather than what is already there.

In a similar way, many people believe in astrology. These believers point to certain results as proof that the stars and planets do indeed have an influence over people's lives, yet an astronomer may point out that, while some of the predictions are correct, they are correct for entirely different reasons. A psychologist or sociologist might have a better explanation too.

Again, there are people who claim that certain kinds of music have a beneficial effect on the growing ability of plants. A horticulturist may explain this growth on entirely different things - care and attention, light, soil, seed quality, etc. The same results can be interpreted different ways, depending on what the observer already believes.

Some people believe that a plant is helped if it is spoken to, while other people believe that the person who speaks to plants will also care for them in other ways, thus producing a beneficial effect on the plant.

While acupuncture has its beneficial effects in entirely practical and logical causes, the Chinese person and the Westerner both interpret these causes in ways which suit their own philosophical bias.

Some Christians I know of have no hesitation in slamming acupuncture as 'New Age' (and therefore evil, and of the Devil). Other Christians - a minority - heartily commend it, not only because it "cured my arthritic pains" but also because "the cat's never looked better". And of course what would a cat understand about acupuncture?

This is the main problem when the subject is brought up : is it good or bad? Should a Christian use acupuncture, or would that be the same as consulting an astrologer? Should a Christian use exclusively Western medical treatment, or is acupuncture a 'legitimate' type of treatment which ought to be placed alongside Western drugs, Western anaesthetics, and Western surgery?

One encyclopaedia says that 'acupuncture is a system of inserting long, thin metal needles into the body at predetermined points to relieve pain, or, as an anaesthetic in surgery, and to assist healing. The needles are rotated manually or electrically." Notice the word 'predetermined'. This means that if the needles are not pushed in at the right places, the pain-relief is not produced. (If they are pushed in at the wrong places they may cause injury or no relief. Acupuncture seems to have started over 3000 years ago.)

Chinese philosophy maintains that the whole functioning of the body and mind are dependent on the normal flow of body energy, or life force, which they call Chi. Chi is said to be a universal energy which surrounds and pervades everything. It can be taken in and used to maintain good health, and it can also be expelled once used.

Western philosophy, on the other hand, recognises that certain foods contain high concentrations of vitamins and minerals. When a person feels 'run down' the Chinese would say the life force is low, and the patients is needing more Chi, while the Westerner would say they needed to improve their diet. The Western remedy is based on research, while the Chinese remedy is based on philosophy. Most people in the West trust the Western way of treatment because vitamins and minerals have been observed, whereas Chi is undetectable.

Another Chinese belief is Yin and Yang. These are said to be aspects of everything, such as right and left, negative and positive. They cannot exist apart from each other, and their imbalance causes malfunctions. Yin is associated with coldness, slowness, dimness, quietness and solidity. Yang is said to be hot, fast, bright, excited and insubstantial. Yin represents female characteristics, and Yang represents male characteristics.

The Western way of looking at this is similar to a certain extent, in that it is basic, good science that all forces work together, even though they may be opposites. Buoyancy and gravity, cold and heat, light and dark, etc. Every male has some female characteristics, and every female has some male characteristics, but these are determined by hormones, which are complicated chemicals whose structure has been analysed, which can be observed under a microscope. The Chinese may have different words for opposite forces, but the forces themselves always obey known laws, and so can be treated with known treatments.

For example white blood cells are the body's defence against infection. These cells need many things, including vitamins C, E, zinc and magnesium. An infection may be caused by a deficiency in these things.

Western treatment may be 1. an antibiotic to treat the infection, or 2. a change of diet, to give the white blood cells the things they need to recover their strength.

The Chinese way of looking at it would be to say that the yin and yang are out of balance. The Chinese cure may be brought about by 1. antibiotics, or 2. a change of diet.

So the two philosophies behind the treatment are quite different. One deals with germs or viruses, while the other deals with the flow of energies, and the balance between opposing forces.

Because the Chinese believe in Chi, they also believe that Chi flows into and out of the body. Chi is said to flow through channels, or lines like tubes, through the body, in 12 pairs, plus a few others. Each of the 12 major meridians is associated with an organ of the body. The meridians are said to have surges of energy, and slackness of energy at different times in the day.

The Western approach is different. It explains the energy fluctuations in terms of blood-sugar levels, and hormones, whether one has had enough sleep, or whether one is bored, or working too hard, and also the fact that we all have a biological clock in our brain which regulates our wake-sleep cycle. Humans go through different levels of alertness and energy as their bodies pass through a daily natural cycle - wake, eat, work, eat, work, eat, sleep. To the Western mind, the fluctuations have nothing at all to do with meridians and Chi and universal energy flows. They are all things which can me measured and recorded in natural terms.

The Chinese view is to look at the symptoms and then begin to insert needles at points along the meridian along which it is believed that the problem lies. Every complaint has its meridian points, but the positioning of the needles correctly is the result of a vast amount of subtle factors.

In classical Chinese philosophy, it is believed that the world consists of only five elements : earth, wood, water, metal and fire. All these elements, say the Chinese, are in the human body. Western science, on the other hand, has shown that none of these 'elements' is a simple, or separate thing by itself, and none of them is an element in the Table of Elements. But the Chinese view is that these five elements are intimately involved with all things, including the meridians. The heart meridian, for example, is believed to be also a fire meridian, since heat comes from the heart.

The Western view would say that heat is pumped by the heart, but not produced entirely by it. As to fire, well the digestive process, and basic metabolism produce heat, not no mention the muscles when they are working hard.

The Chinese view is that disruption to one element will affect all the others. The Western view agrees with the principle, but not the philosophy. A sore toe can affect the mind, the heart and the digestion, but not because of elements or meridians, but because of pain, and the distraction or stress of that pain.

Now comes the complicated part. If acupuncture was simply a matter of poking a needle into a point on a meridian, just about anyone could do it to themselves, but the Chinese method includes several other aspects. There are rules governing the effects of elements upon each other, and therefore of meridians on each other. These relationships are compared to mother-child, and servant-master relationships.

For example wood is said to control earth, since it grows in and over it. Earth controls water by damming and diverting it. Water controls fire by extinguishing it. Fire controls metal by melting it. Metal controls wood by fashioning it into tools and other things. So now we have returned to where we started.

Therefore : the wood meridians (liver and gall Bladder) exert control over the earth meridians (spleen and stomach). These two control the water meridians (urinary, bladder and kidney), which control the fire meridians (small intestine, heart, and pericardium). The fire meridians control the metal meridians (lung, and large intestine) and the metal meridian controls the wood meridians.

So each meridian has four connections through the five elements. Each meridian is nourished by one meridian and controlled by another, it then nourishes a third and controls a fourth. Therefore each element is connected with every other element. Into this web of connections we must also add the yin and yang forces.

Acupuncture is therefore the control, it is believed, of energy flows, not bacteria or viruses.

That the Chinese approach is quite often correct, but for the wrong reasons, can be illustrated from time to time. One example is the Chinese view that the liver and the heart are linked by meridians and elements. The Western view is that the liver is the storehouse for various vitamins and minerals, including iron and vit.B12, which are essential for blood formation. A deficiency in the liver may have a serious effect on the blood, causing anaemia, which may affect the action of the heart, which is put under stress during anaemia.

Another example is the link between the spleen and the heart. Red blood cells, which are the oxygen carriers, have a life span of about 120 days. Having reached this age they are replaced by new cells, and the old cells are broken down, the iron from them being reused in the bone marrow to form new cells. However, the breaking down of the cells is done in the spleen. In some forms of anaemia, where excessive quantities of blood cells are broken down, the heart may be affected, and in extreme cases, heart failure may follow.

What Westerners call the independent functioning of the whole body, the Chinese interpret in terms of energy, and meridians, and elements. The treatments sometimes work on the same principles, but the philosophy behind the treatment is very different. Cures may follow, but again, the interpretation of why the cure was effected may also be quite different. Disease is not seen as bacterial or viral, but in terms of invasion of harmful Chi.

This whole Chinese approach is quite understandable when we consider that bacteria were not even seen until the 18th century, so some other explanation was likely. Other societies blamed evil spirits for sickness, or the Devil, or the actions of a god or goddess.

Since acupuncture is but one part of the whole Chinese medical system, we will skim over some of the other tools. As you will see, the tools and the reasons for using them are quite similar in some ways but also very different in others, to those which the Westerner uses.

The Chinese medical kit also includes the Six External Factors : cold, wind, damp, dryness and summer heat. Thus if a person comes down with the flu, the diagnosis might be 'invasion of cold'. Whatever illness comes, there may be one or more of the External Factors involved. A case of having two at the same time would be summer heat (yin) accompanied by drinking cold water (yang) - thus we have a fever with great thirst. The Westerner would talk in terms of sweating, high temperature, and viral infection.

And there are also the Seven Emotional Factors : joy, anger, melancholy, obsessional thinking, grief, fear and fright. Each emotion has a yin or yang association, and affects different elements and meridians.

The Western approach would be to notice how certain emotions released certain beneficial or harmful hormones, or caused peace or stress on certain parts of the body.

As well as all the above, there are four Miscellaneous Factors : 1. stagnant blood and phlegm, 2. irregular eating, 3. excessive stress, 4. lack of physical exertion and trauma.

There are also Eight Syndromes. Having ascertained the type of syndrome from which the patient is suffering, the acupuncturist has to then decide which parts of the body are affected, which meridians are involved, what affect each needle will have on all the other factors involved, and where the Chi energy is flowing.

When a Western doctor takes a pulse, he places two fingers over the radial artery in the wrist. He may also use a stethoscope and an ECG machine (electrocardiogram). By using these tools, the Western doctor can easily diagnose a patient, and observe and monitor the heart rhythm over a number of days. He can also see at a glance whether the patient's heart is improving or not.

When a Chinese doctor takes a pulse, he feels the same stretch of artery but in six different places on both wrists. He will try to find twelve major meridians and assess the balance of the Chi as it flows to and from the organs. He will take into account the yin and yang forces, and work out the effect the acupuncture may have on the balance of the five elements.

That there are many different kinds of pulse is obvious. A weak heart produces a weak pulse, and so on. But the Chinese system of interpretation differs dramatically from the Western interpretation.

For example an irregular heartbeat, to a Westerner, may be due to an electrical misfiring of the muscles of the heart. The Chinese doctor would say that the blood is stagnating and interfering with the flow of Chi and yang. Depending on the interpretation, needles would be inserted according to the interpretation of the symptoms.

Chinese doctors look at the patient in many ways. They examine the tongue, the eye, the health of the skin. They ask about personal habits, eating preferences, diet, lifestyle, work load, sleeping habits, and many other things. Using experience, general knowledge, and deduction, the likely causes of some illnesses can be assessed. Gradually a patient profile is built up, but in most cases, a completely different interpretation is made out of the information - compared to the interpretation a Western doctor would draw from the same information.

Far from making fun of the Chinese method of diagnosis, we ought to respect them for their care and diligence towards the sick and injured. When an acupuncturist pushes a needle into a point which, for example, may be specific for dispelling the effects of "invasion by wind" from the body, his aim is to change the flow of Chi, and to restore harmony to the patient in the way he believes it can be done. To the Western doctor, such talk of a "life force" is sheer nonsense. Western science likes to measure and record real things, and a "life force" is not measurable.

But there is a Book which speaks of a "life force" and that is the Bible. Chinese medicine, as I see it, is a sincere attempt to treat that invisible but real "life force" which makes the non-living materials of our body into "a living organism" (Gen.2:7). The Bible truth that "God breathed life into Man" has been obscured and twisted into a medical practise which tries to work with, in a sense, 'the breath of God' - a noble aim, but not very promising. Why? Because in the end, all the Chinese medical system can change is the machine, the body, the material aspect of the human. This is exactly the same as Western medical system, only Western medicine uses a vast array of machines, and examines the material side of the illness in far greater detail. Westerners usually think that Western medicine is superior to Chinese medicine because the latter is not surrounded by 'science' and machines.

But in both cases there is, increasingly, a desire to take a sick or injured person and restore them to health - mental, physical and, dare we say it, spiritual health - this is nothing but holism. But this aim is not some modern new idea. It has been taught, by God, for more than 4000 years.

Treating the whole person has always been the aim of God. Throughout the Bible there are references to wholeness, and harmony, in body and spirit, but they are always connected with obedience to and love for God. Holistic medicine started in the Bible first, and was picked up, partly, by the Chinese, and others, to become a form of medicine without Christianity.

"God be merciful to us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

That His way may be known upon earth, His saving health among all nations". Ps.67:1

For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh". Proverbs 4:20-22

"Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2

Many of the cures brought about by acupuncture and acupressure are a result of manipulation of either the hormones or the nervous system. Modern medicine is still struggling to understand these marvellous systems, and there is still a vast amount yet to be discovered. But some of the findings, as they relate to acupuncture, are interesting :

* The human body contains several nervous systems. One is the autonomic, which regulates the heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, bowels and reproductive organs. The autonomic comes in two parts - the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. These systems are intimately related, but they govern quite different functions. Acupuncture seems to affect these systems, though just how is still a mystery.

* Stimulation of acupuncture points has been shown to cause the body to release endorphins, which are painkilling chemicals.

An endorphin is a natural substance, a polypeptide, which modifies the action of nerve cells. Endorphins are produced by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, in vertebrates. They lower the perception of pain by reducing the transmission of signals between nerve cells.

* Felix Mann, in his book 'Acupuncture: the Ancient Chinese Art of Healing' puts forward the theory that the responses obtained in various organs of the body when points on the skin are stimulated, tie in with the way in which the body develops as an embryo. Each section of the body, together with its nerve supply, develops from a different section of the embryo. Very often, but not always, both an organ, and the acupuncture points that affect it lie in the same dermatome. These are the 'meridians' for the acupuncturist.

* The system of meridians and the belief that Chi flows in and out of the body may be just the Chinese description of the whole nervous system.

* Acupuncture works on animals - which have no interest, belief or faith in the practise. This proves that acupuncture works, but it does not explain why or how.

* Certain aspects of Chinese medicine deserve attention. Its first object is the prevention rather than the cure of a disease. This is helped along by the patient, who refuses to pay the doctor until a cure is effected. But the underlying theory is that the patient's body is made of many interdependent parts, all of which affect each other. The patient is also seen in the context of his environment and lifestyle. (The movie 'Patch Adams' starring Robin Williams catches this idea admirably)

My own opinion on the whole matter is this : If people put God first, and obeyed Him, they would naturally tend to be healthy. This is actually 'spiritual' living, though in many ways it is just plain down-to-earth good sense. If people lived lives obedient to God, He would take their worries and stresses. He would guide them into constructive happiness and help them with every aspect of their lives. God's love would cover their faults, and God's great sacrifice - the death of His Son on the cross for their sins - would take away their guilt. His Spirit would empower them to live good lives, and their fellowship with other Christians would ensure harmony and peace. Because they loved God, they would want to please Him in every way. They would care for their bodies and treat them as "the temple of the Holy Spirit" ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ), which is another way of saying that they would look after every aspect of their lives, including their environment - no 'junk' food, or overwork, or cigarettes, or other physical abuse. (Christians, incidentally, of all people, ought to be the ones who lead the way in health-foods - only the freshest and the best - fruit, vegetables and cereals. But sadly, many Christians abuse their bodies as much as any unbeliever. Some even give thanks to God before eating rubbish.)

It has been argued that Western medicine, for all its knowledge, has as little understanding as to how medical treatments work as Chinese doctors do as to how acupuncture works. The former, however, deals with the real world, which can be measured and recorded.

The Chinese method is based totally and completely on something which has never been seen, measured, or even proved to exist.

Western medicine is nearer to the Bible view of Man - that Man is quite often the only one responsible for his own ill health, and Man can utilise real substances from the world to cure himself. Man can also change his environment, and his lifestyle. As there is no mention of Chi in the Bible, it seems logical that it does not exist. If there is no such thing as Chi, then the remedies in the Bible are the most likely to succeed.

Personally, I prefer Western medicine, because, in certain ways, it seems nearer to the Christian view that God created a universe, and a world, and on this world He created plants and animals for the use of Man. The medicines which Western man extracts from plants are the material helps to man's health. The invisible, spiritual aspect of Man can be helped by God, who alone is able to heal Man's spirit.

"And (God) said, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that heals you." Exodus 15:26