How TCM works

Acupuncture and moxibustion involve inserting needles and, respectively, burning rolls of moxa (a Chinese herb) on or over the acupoints or along the meridians. The purpose of so doing is to stimulate the body’s own ability to regulate homeostasis and enhance the vital forces; in other words, to call the nerve, endocrine and immune systems into action in order to restore balance, to dissolve bioenergetic “traffic jams”, to clear up toxic “debris” in the organism. It is a holistic way of healing, one whose processes hew close to those of nature itself and leave no side effects.

Acupuncture serves to regulate essential biological functions and has been proven to be a remarkably effective form of adaptogenic treatment. Adaptogenic treatments or healing substances are those whose effects are not monolithic or one-directional but can vary according to the individual organism’s needs in a given time or context. Thus, for instance, acupuncture can correct either hypertension or hypotension; tachycardia or bradycardia; or can alter the proportions among various constituent elements of the blood. The effects, in other words, are to correct imbalances of the organs, glands and metabolic and neurological functions and redirect the body toward its own original, innate condition of homeostasis.

Acupuncture’s anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, immune- response-promoting actions strengthen the defense functions of the human body, prevent the occurrence of necrosis and promote the renovation of tissues. Acupuncture and moxibustion have analgesic effects and are commonly applied to pain syndromes such as: trigeminal neuralgia, neurogenic headache, migraine, sciatica, stenocardia, pain in internal organs, toothache, joint pain, and musculo-skeletal pain.

The scope of application of acupuncture and moxibustion is expanding. In addition to being the primary treatment for many disorders, acupuncture is also used as a supplementary treatment to many other therapies. For example: acupuncture helps to reduce the side effects of certain standard cancer treatments, to reduce the pain and discomfort after dental and other kinds of surgery, and to promote and enhance the body’s response to IVF and ART procedures for infertility.