Acupuncture is the process of inserting a needle into the skin over a specific point on the body to elicit a healing response. Oftentimes this needling is associated with the feeling of “de qi” or a sensation that feels something like a light electric shock. You may also feel a pressure, a sensation like running water or a twitch. These sensations are all perfectly normal and many people find them pleasant.
There are many ways a practitioner can go about selecting the points to use and to determine the locations of the points.
My formal schooling was in Traditional Chinese Medicine where we were taught the channels from the Chinese perspective and use the organs and their presentations of disharmony as our primary diagnostic tool. We then create a treatment principle and select the most appropriate points to address the root of the issue, the manifestations of the issue or both depending on how you are presenting at the time of treatment.
Japanese Style: Japanese acupuncture is often more gentle than Chinese. The “de qi” sensation is not sought after, the needles are typically smaller, oftentimes less needles are used and the channel pathways don’t always perfectly line up with where the Chinese place them. Japanese acupuncture also incorporates more acupressure and utilizes various tools to help stimulate the movement or tonification of qi without penetrating the skin.
5 Element Style: I implement this type of acupuncture when we want to treat on the emotional / spiritual level. I will often bring 5E acupuncture to the table when we are doing everything properly to treat the physical manifestations of a disharmony but do not seem to be getting the results we expect. At this point we can begin removing the blocks to treatment through specific 5 element protocols that release trauma, reconnect the parts of you that have been separated from self or remove limiting beliefs that are either internal or placed upon you from the outside world.
Palpation / Channel Theory: In my experience this is the most beneficial way to treat. While we will still have a discussion about your concerns to help guide me to the potential channels that could be affected, ultimately we are listening to the language of your body to select the best points for treatment. I will palpate the channels on your lower legs and lower arms to sense any changes in the tissue – is it too soft or too rigid? Are there divots or bumps? Through careful palpation we can discern where the issues are arising and treat exactly what your body is calling for.
There are many other types of acupuncture out there and no one style works best for everything. The more tools we have at our disposal, the more likely we will be able to get to the root of the issue.