The Evolution of Acupuncture: A Western Patient's Perspective

Welcome to a new article series from Chill Acupuncture and Wellness. This series will bring you a history of oriental medicine, with a focus on modern western acupuncture. It will be written from the perspective of a Western client of Chill Acupuncture and Wellness.

The first recorded history of acupuncture in Chinese literature dates back about 3,000 years.

Obviously, there were no stainless steel needles available, so the instruments used were

incredibly crude by today’s standards. It was during this early period, though, that the Eastern concept of Qi (pronounced "chi" in English), and the flow of this energy was tracked along lines somewhat like our blood vessel systems.

Acupuncture did not appear in western, that is European, documents until around 1680, when a gentleman named Ten Rhijne, an employee of the East India Company, wrote about it. Since that time, acupuncture has had an up and down field of interest in the West.

Beginning in the 1950s, Chinese acupuncturists began looking at Western medical practices

and adapted them to fit with the much older Eastern practices. With this more westernized

approach, our European/American medical practitioners began to appreciate the value of

acupuncture and other eastern medical practices.

While not an encyclopedic list of Chinese medicine, or the services offered by Chill

Acupuncture and Wellness, these articles will take a look at various Asian medical practices

from the viewpoint of a Western client who has found great relief from a variety of physical

and psychological medical issues through the services of Chill Acupuncture and Wellness..

The primary medical and physical issues that Chill Acupuncture and Wellness treat are pain,

mental health, general wellness, and healthy aging. In treating pain, Chill works on Neck Pain,

Back Pain, Joint Pain, Headache and Muscle Tension. The most commonly encountered

techniques at Chill Acupuncture are acupuncture (with needles), electronic acupuncture,

therapeutic massage, and medical herbal offerings, though there are a number of lesser

techniques available (like cupping).

As most people are probably aware, acupuncture is a technique of applying very slim

stainless steel needles into the body. Perhaps less well known is that these needles are not

randomly applied, but follow a tradition of placing the needles along medians of the flow of qi

(again, pronounced "chi"). The particular issue being treated determines which channels are

followed. The room will have a calming ambiance with soft lighting and background sound

tracks, ensuring a relaxing experience.

Some people believe acupuncture works by balancing vital energy, while others believe it has a neurological effect. Acupuncture involves inserting very thin needles into the body at different locations and depths. It aims to balance the life forces known as Qi that are responsible for different health issues.

A related form of acupuncture, which is often utilized concurrent with normal acupuncture is

known as electo-acupuncture. In this technique, certain needles are attached to a machine

which presents mild electric current to the body, not unlike the Western TENS machine, which has the same effect, but applied via adhesive patches.

Another popular element of treatment at Chill Acupuncture and Wellness is herbal therapy.

Herbal medicine dates very far back in mankind’s history. While Asian cultures have applied herbs to treat various ailments, we can also trace it back in the Western world, where our native peoples in North, South and Central America have a long history of using herbs for health.

An excellent example of this is the use of willow bark (think aspirin) to treat pain.

Herbal medicine, also known as botanical medicine or phytomedicine, is the use of plants for

medicinal purposes. It has been used in ancient cultures to treat disease and improve overall

health. Herbal medicine is becoming more mainstream as research and quality control

improve, and its value in treating and preventing disease becomes more apparent. However,

some herbs have strong ingredients and should be taken with the same caution as

pharmaceutical medications. Chill Acupuncture takes great care to research all effects of a

particular herb, and can also check that there will be no interference with prescription

medicines.

The next most popular treatment technique after acupuncture is therapeutic massage.

Therapeutic massage is a mobilization of the soft tissues in order to induce relaxation and

healing. Therapeutic massage uses a combination of specific massage techniques to produce a therapeutic effect. Therapeutic massage can be used to reduce stress, decrease pain and increase feeling of calmness and well-being.

Therapeutic massages help relieve muscle and joint pain, treat specific problems, reduce stiffness, increase blood circulation throughout the body, and help heal injuries, in contrast, regular massages aim to only provide temporary relief without trying to heal the root of the problem.

You'll undress to your comfort level and lie under a sheet for privacy while the therapist uses

techniques to relieve tension and discomfort. Again, the room will have a calming ambiance

with soft lighting and music, ensuring a relaxing experience. After the session, you should feel

relaxed and refreshed, with decreased muscle stiffness, decreased joint inflammation, better

quality of sleep and quicker recovery between workouts.

Some detractors of Eastern medicine will argue that these techniques only work due to the

placebo effect, where a treatment works solely because the patient believes it did. The logical response to that argument is that if it works because the patient believed it would, then it worked. End of argument there.

TriWest and Blue Cross Blue Shield are currently accepted at Chill Acupuncture. Please be

aware that insurance verification generally takes between 1 and 3 business days.

Chill Acupuncture is open Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 7 PM, with last

appointments scheduled at 6 PM.

Chill Acupuncture and Wellness is located at 6502 East Carondolet Drive, Tucson, AZ 85710.

They are located in the San Rafael Medical Center south of the Saint Joseph's Hospital main building. You can contact Chill Acupuncture by phone at (520) 505-1990, or via email at

chilltucson@gmail.com.