Yin and Yang simplified - its all about balance.

What are Yin & Yang and how do they relate to the body?

Taijitu

As one of the fundamental theories of Chinese medicine Yin yang theory was developed circa 5th century B.C. It is based on the idea of the two opposite qualities in nature that complement each other. Like day and night, male and female, heaven (sky) and earth, hot and cold, they are interdependent in so far as they give each other meaning and one cannot exist without the other. 

In nature yin and yang can be seen as the shady and sunny side respectively of a slope. Beyond that we can look to the properties yin yang have in the body like coolness and warmth, movement and stillness, inside and out, up and down. They are like the opposite sides of the same coin.

The human body is made of substance and energy, form and function,  yin and yang, so every part of the body can be defined in relation to any other part. 

Yin and yang in balance and working together in harmony within the human body result in optimal health. Its all about balance.

 yin and yang balanced with acupuncture

What is this Qi you speak of? in under 150 words...

Qi

"What is this? cheese!"  

Its difficult to translate the concept of Qi or Chi into english mainly because like with most things in chinese medicine it was developed in china, thousands of years ago, from a chinese medical point of view which is full of associations and ideas that we in the west are not familiar with. 

Qi is pronounced ‘chee’ (just like in the word cheese) and you can interpret it as the vital life force (or breaths) that runs through every living body, which is responsible for that constant movement from yin to yang and from yang to yin. 

Qi is the basis of all phenomena in the universe, in the human body it manifests in physical and spiritual capacities as both function and energy. It is responsible for all the activities that occur in the human body, from digesting food and immune functions to blood circulation and mental activities.

What are the acupuncture channels? what are the acupuncture points?

acupuncture channels and acupuncture points simplified.

Meridian theory (or jingluo), describes in detail the channel pathways and connections. It maps out the flow of Qi energy throughout the human body (check out charts). Each organ system has its meridian, along which the acupuncture points are strategically located.

Every point has its functions and indications, so by placing acupuncture needles in certain points we can access the specific pathway to the Qi that will rectify the imbalance in the system and solve the problem. In the body there are twelve 12 primary meridians and 361 acupuncture points through which the Qi flows.

Try to picture acupuncture meridians like a system of motorways that enables perfect communication and facilitates free flow of Qi, blood and information thru the body. An illness then would be an interruption or blockage of this flow. The acupoints are like junctions or exits on these motorways which, when needled, enable us to influence the flow of Qi in the body.

For example, keeping the motorways in mind, we could see a traffic jam in the Foot Tai Yang Urinary Bladder meridian manifesting as back pain. In this case, performing acupuncture on points along the UB channel unblocks the congestion and restores the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body relieving the pain in your back!

What is Acupuncture?

So what is acupuncture in under 150 words...

Acupuncture is an ancient system of medicine which was developed in China over 3000 years ago. It is based on the concept of Qi (or chi) which is the vital life force that flows in our bodies through an energetic network of channels that are called meridians.

When the Qi or energy flows freely through the channels we experience health and well being. However, when the flow of energy gets blocked that is when discomfort, pain or ill health present themselves.

There is an old Chinese saying that illustrates this point well which translates: 'Pain, no free flow. Free flow, no pain'. So what we try to do with acupuncture is to restore the free flow of the Qi throughout the body. By doing that we can eliminate the symptomatic manifestations of the obstruction of energy flow, i.e. pain, discomfort etc , achieve balance and regain health.