Monday, January 16, 2012

Is 'Qi' real?

This is one of the hardest questions I had to face during my acupuncture studies.  Having quite a logical, sceptical disposition, I found some of the concepts of Chinese medicine hard to accept, despite having experienced good results myself from prior treatments.  I tried hard to open my mind to it all, and even tried to 'feel' Qi as some claim to be able to do.  But if I'm honest, I'm yet to experience anything yet which convinces me that I have such abilities.  That's not to say that others don't have these skills (a subject for another post), but I don't feel I can base any of my treatment decisions on Qi in this sense.

Which is why I was so pleased to come across the writings of Dr Wang Ju Yi and Mark Seem.  Both highly respected and experienced practitioners and teachers, they argue that acupuncturists should hone their palpation skills to understand and interpret the physical landscape of a patient's body.  To my mind, this is still developing an awareness of Qi, but Qi in its more solid and readily accessible form.  When I examine a patient and locate acupuncture points that I hope will lead to beneficial changes, a large part of what I am doing is feeling for areas of congestion and lack of clear flow, not 'energy' in an ethereal sense, but tangible changes to flesh and blood.  This is absolutely in keeping with the traditional Chinese concepts of Qi, channel (meridian) flow, and restoring balance in order that the patient's system can function better.

One great benefit to this approach is that the patient become directly involved in the process - their feedback about tender spots forms a vital part of my choice of treatment.  This is better, I think, than simply basing a diagnosis and treatment on things only the practitioner can feel or verify.

Please note: this blog is intended for educational and general interest purposes only. If you have any health concerns, please discuss them with your doctor.

www.tomtheacupuncturist.co.uk

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