The experience of acupuncture is believed to restore the balance and harmonious flow of energy through the body
Photo credit: Courtesy Margarita Borisova
Story Expired On: March 22, 2008
Acupuncture for Seasonal Rejuvenation
By: Margarita Borisova, MSTOM
Published: March 22, 2007
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a century-long holistic tradition that is deeply rooted in the principle of oneness with nature and the forces of the universe. The healing power of nature, a principle known in Western medical traditions as Vis Medicatrix Naturae (the healing power of nature) is the soul of any holistic tradition. Oriental Medicine refers to this innate healing wisdom as “Qi” and has developed a broad system of correspondences to emphasize the relation of an individual’s health to the environment we live in.
Qi has also been understood as the life force of a living being that flows through the body through a system of pathways called meridians. This image of a powerful flow of life-giving force in the meridians is thought to be modeled after the system of waterways, canals and rivers leading to the big ocean that gave life to the country of the ancient Chinese. The unobstructed flow of water was important for a harmonious functioning of this system, and any work that needed to be
Margarita Borisova says that our bodies have an innate ability to be healed and renewed.
Photo credit: Margarita Borisova
done to maintain it was seen as an attempt to restore the balance and the unimpeded flow of water in the right direction. When the water froze in winter, the whole organism of waterways lay dormant, only to come alive with a renewed force once the warmer days arrived. Spring was traditionally the time to inspect these essential pathways, cleanse any obstructions and reinforce weaknesses, to ensure the smooth flow and functioning throughout other seasons. Just as the waterways of the ancient Chinese lay dormant under ice all winter, so does our life force in the cold time of year. Each season in Chinese Medicine is associated with an organ system, a color and an element of nature, and winter happens to be the time of the kidneys, which store our life force, the color dark blue and the element of water. It is the time of storage and dormancy in the body. The season of spring is associated with the organ of the liver, responsible for the smooth flow of Qi through the meridians, it is also the season of the element wood and the color green, signaling the purification, growth, renewal, and a fresh start for nature and its creatures. With all forces of nature working on restoring and maintaining the healthful flow of Qi in a human body, illness was not seen as destructive, but as corrective, as an attempt of the Qi to remove the obstacles on its way and bring its healing power to all organ systems and tissues.
Acupuncture points to restore smooth flow of Qi.
Photo credit: Courtesy Margarita Borisova
