Over the years, I have heard this question countless times. The truth is, the answer is complex, having many layers and tangents. However, the easiest way to answer is to make an analogy to something most people are aware of. Basically, acupuncture works by “rebooting” or “restarting” the body. Computers and smartphones (to name two) are very common technologies. Most of us have or use one of these on a daily basis; some of us feel our lives are completely run by them. What would happen if we never restarted them? Never powered them down to reset? What would happen if we turned them off without following the proper shut down procedures? Hard drives get bogged down by cookies and temp files, processes may stop working or end without our knowledge, and not following proper maintenance steps takes a toll on the equipment.
The same is true of our bodies. The constant submersion into stress, stimulation, and cycles of days collaborates to do harm over time. Adding these to major health issues, accidents and injuries, and down-right neglect and harmful habits causes the negative stimuli to compile and we end up as physiological wrecks. What now? Medication, mostly. This is sad, simply, because for most of us there is another way. For many others, there can be a significant reduction in synthetic treatments.
Acupuncture helps us reset by correcting and ensuring the proper flow of qi (chi). The body houses a set of energy pathways, much like the circulatory system (veins, arteries, and capillaries), called meridians. As described by Will Mitchell of Merritt Wellness Center, Austin, TX, When these become kinked, much like a garden soaker hose, the energy flow is slowed or blocked. If you garden, or know someone who does, they most likely use a soaker hose. What happens to the flowers, vegetables, or plants that occur along the path of water after the kink? They suffer; worst case scenario, they will die from a lack of water. This is also true of our body systems. Acupuncture takes the kinks out, enabling qi to flow smoothly, providing us with the best chance of being or becoming healthy.
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