Shiatsudo Blog

I remember reading a bit about the history of acupuncture a little while ago. Something that caught my eye was that apparently, in the good old days in China, noblemen and women would employ an acupuncturist or physician to maintain their health. The acupuncturist would be given a stipend to ensure that their patient did not get sick. If and when the patient did fall ill, the acupuncturist would not be paid for the duration of the illness.

I don’t know if that is true or not, but just think about the implications of a health care system that would work like that. Rather than be paid to cure someone, physicians would only be paid if their patients remain in good health! That kind of incentive would radically alter the way medicine is practised.

From the physician’s point of view, it would make him very committed to their work. They would have to really get to know and work with their patients over an extended period of time. It would encourage daily check-ups, and an attitude where the physician listened to the patient and really tried to find the root cause of any problem and eliminate it. In this context, a “holistic” system of medicine is really the only one that could survive; and it kind of makes sense that Traditional Chinese Medicine is the way it is. The only way to minimise the chance of someone getting ill is to cover all the bases; take into account the individual’s constitution, their particular weaknesses and strengths, their habits and their lifestyle. Medicine would incorporate every aspect of a person’s life; diet, exercise, mental and emotional state, work life, home life and so on.

The responsibility would also pass onto the patients, since they would have to follow their physicians’ advice. If they didn’t and fell ill, their physicians could easily blame the illness on the fact that the patients had not done as advised. So the patients would become more intimately acquainted with their own health. Under the watchful eye of their physicians, patients would report daily on their diet, exercise, mental and emotional state. They would, by the very nature of taking time daily to check in with their body, become more aware of themselves, more in tune with their bodies and probably take more of an interest in staying healthy.

Often, people explore complementary therapies in an attempt to move back towards a system where healthcare is more about staying healthy day to day rather than ignoring their health for large stretches of time and then when a problem becomes chronic and impossible to ignore, running to a GP and expecting a magic pill to make it better.

Prevention is better than cure they say.

Tags:Acupuncture & TCM, healthcare, TCM

Liver 3 is located on the dorsum of the foot between the first and second metatarsals.

This is one of the major acupuncture points. Arguably, one of the most important in the body. Liver 3 can be fairly sensitive and sometimes even a little painful. Liver 3 is said to spread Liver Qi, Subdue Liver Yang, Nourish Liver Blood and Liver Yin and a host of other TCM functions. Heck, most Liver pathologies will benefit from Liver 3. This means it helps with things like headaches, hypertension, eye problems, genital problems and gynaecological issues. The Liver is associated with anger and often Liver 3 can help calm you down and make you less irritable. Liver 3 also benefits the eyes because the Liver in TCM Opens To The Eyes”.

Liver 3, in combination with Large Intestine 4,is a famous acupuncture formula for alleviating pain. This formula is called the Four Gates, and it is also prescribed for anger, frustration and Liver Qi Stagnation. It is a very powerful formula because of the action of both points to Spread and Move Qi and Blood and basically make Qi move correctly through the body.

Tags:four gates, liver 3, taichong

Debra Betts is an acupuncturist with a background in nursing. She specialises in pregnancy and women’s health care. Her book The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth is a great book for anyone involved in TCM who wants to gain an understanding of how acupuncture can be used throughout pregnancy, during labour and in postnatal care. Chapters are nicely divided; the first portion of each deals with the western medical information, while the second portion of each chapter deals with the Chinese medicine viewpoint, explaining the various TCM syndromes that might be present, with acupuncture point combinations that help each syndrome.

Most books on pregnancy are organised into chapters based on the trimesters. Betts’ book however is organised by western medical condition which makes it easy to use as a reference work – just look up a symptom and start reading.

My wife suffered from some symphysis pubis pain during the second and third trimester, and Debra Betts’ chapter on musculoskeletal conditions was very helpful in treating the pain. I also found the acupressure in labour chapter absolutely essential, and the point selection that Debra Betts suggests for pain relief during labour really helped my wife.

You can find a sample chapter of the book on Debra’s website. She also has a handout on acupressure in labour which is basically the same information that she presents in the book. This is a great reference to print out and put in your birth bag, or if you (I’m thinking mainly of the husbands/birth partners) just want a few handy techniques to help with pain relief during labour without reading the whole book.