What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a healing modality that improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural, self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites known as acupuncture points. These acupuncture points are stimulated by inserting fine, sterile needles into the skin. Acupressure, electrical stimulation, moxibustion, cupping, massage etc may further enhance the effects.

Traditional Chinese medicine is based on ancient philosophy that described the universe and the body in terms of two opposing forces namely yin and yang. These forces manifest themselves in the form of five energies namely wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Energies flow in the body along specific pathways called meridians. When these forces are in balance, the body is healthy. This perpetual and healthy flow of energy maintains the balance of the yin and yang forces. However, if for some reason the flow of energy gets blocked or imbalanced, the disruption can lead to pain, lack of function or illness.

Treatment and diagnosis

The process of curing the imbalance involves multiple steps not very different, yet more thorough, than a visit to the doctor.

The first visit to the acupuncture centre involves detailed background check wherein every minute detail of the patient is observed—scars, skin discoloration, voice tonality, gait and attitude in carrying the body, skin and hair texture and emotional response. Tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis, etc. also help to come to the right conclusions. The above process provides the acupuncturist information about energy flow through the patient’s body, along with an insight into their energy constitution and imbalances. Based on this information, treatment protocol is decided.

If for some reason the flow of energy gets blocked or imbalanced, the disruption can lead to pain, lack of function or illness

The correct diagnosis is followed by the treatment stage. Here, we follow the dictum of accomplished acupuncture teachers—an ideal treatment plan should constitute minimal needles and maximum cure.

Needles are inserted at various acupuncture points. Many a times, along with needles moxibustion or electrical stimulation is given. Needles are to be retained by the patient for 20 minutes. All this is aimed at achieving balanced energies thereby curing the ailment. To ensure optimum patient care, the needles are never reused.

Commonly Asked Questions About Acupuncture

Here are answers to common queries that patients generally have about acupuncture

Does acupuncture have any side effects?

Acupuncture has minimal side effects, one of them being hypoglycaemia [drop in blood sugar levels] in certain cases. Hence, it is advisable not to undergo acupuncture treatment on an empty stomach.

Does inserting needles into the skin hurt at all?

The only pain worth mentioning is an equivalent of a pin-prick lasting no more than a micro-second.

How many sittings does one need?

The time frame varies according to a person’s constitution, how the body responds to the treatment and whether the ailment is chronic or acute.

In what ailments is acupuncture helpful?

Acupuncture has proven to be extremely successful in curing chronic ailments where mainstream medicine has promised only disease management. These ailments include—arthritis, slip-discs, digestive problems, circulatory/nervous system ailments, infertility, gynaecological issues, spondylitis, pain management, respiratory disorders, skin disorders, etc.

Case Examples

The following case studies will help you understand the efficacy of acupuncture

1. Mrs A [name concealed to protect identity] came with chronic pain in the left knee. Because it was due to an old athletic injury, the orthopaedic doctor diagnosed the pain as a cartilage tear. This injury would often lead to the knee joint getting locked if the patient sat in a squatting position, followed by extreme pain to unlock the joint. The advised treatment was invasive arthroscopy. The treatment rendered was needles on the gall bladder meridian, which looks after ligaments and cartilage of our body. The treatment was aimed at strengthening the function of the cartilage and lasted for three months. The results were termed as “magical” by the patient.
2. Ms B, an aspiring actress, came for cosmetic acupuncture treatment. Cosmetic acupuncture helped her regain her complexion along with a face lift, contouring, even tone of skin, collagen building, glow—all of it in 12 sessions.
3. Mr C came for treating his addiction to cigarettes. He was smoking 20 sticks a day. Semi permanent acupuncture needles were given in his ears and in a month he quit smoking. It’s been nine years since he stopped and is still going strong.

Ailments that have been cured due to acupuncture are numerous and the case studies far too many to find mention here, but the one thing that does merit mention is the smile and happiness evident in patients when they are cured of their illness. The realisation that an illness that was causing them deep anguish has been evicted from their lives is the greatest reward that I receive as a doctor.

This was first published in the December 2015 issue ofComplete Wellbeing magazine.

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The World Has Lived in Two Parts

Man has made his own world while the woman has lived in a shadow—she has created her own world in this shadow. It is very unfortunate because a man or a woman, to be complete, to be whole, must have all the qualities together.

Both men and women should be as soft as a rose petal and as hard as a sword—both together. So whatever the opportunity and whenever the situation demands it… if the situation needs you to be a sword, you are ready; if the situation needs you to be just a rose petal, you are ready. This flexibility—between the rose petal and the sword—will make your life richer. And it is not only between two qualities, it is between all the qualities.

One Whole

Man and woman are two parts of one whole; their world should also be one whole, and they should share all the qualities without any distinction—no quality should be stamped as feminine or masculine. When you make somebody masculine that person loses great things in his life. He becomes juiceless, he becomes stale, and he becomes hard, almost dead. And the woman who completely forgets how to be hard, how to be a rebel is bound to become a slave, because she has only soft qualities. Now roses cannot fight with swords, they will be crushed and killed and destroyed.

A total human being has not been born yet. There have been men and there have been women, but there have not been human beings. My whole approach is to bring the whole man to the earth — with all the beautiful qualities of woman and with all the courageous, rebellious, adventurous qualities of man. And they should all be part of one whole.

Also read » Osho on Relationships: Risk Everything for Truth

Divided We Lose

But from the very beginning we start telling children… a small boy, if he wants to play with toys like girls, we immediately stop him and say, “Be ashamed of yourself; you are a boy, you are a man, don’t be girlish. And if a girl tries to climb a tree we stop her immediately: “This is not ladylike, climbing a tree; this is for the boys, it is rough. You just come down!”

From the very beginning we start dividing man and woman into parts. Both suffer—because climbing a tree has a joy of its own, no woman should miss it. To be on top of a tree when the wind is strong, in the sun, with the birds singing… if you have not been to that point, you have missed something. And just because you are a woman? Strange…

To be adventurous, to climb the mountains, to swim the oceans—should not be prevented just because you are a woman, because that thrill is something spiritual. A man should not be prevented when he wants to cry. He is prevented, he cannot bring tears—tears are only for women: “You are a man; behave like a man!” And tears are such a beautiful experience. In deep sadness or in great joy, whenever something is overflowing, tears give expression to it. And if tears are repressed, at the same time what they were going to express—the deep sadness or the great joy—is also repressed.

Be Natural

And remember perfectly well that nature has not made any difference. It has given every man and woman the same tear glands, of equal size. But if you are a man and you are crying, then everybody condemns you, as if, “You are behaving like a woman.”

You should say, “What can I do? Nature itself has given me tear glands. Nature is behaving like a woman. It is not my responsibility; I am simply enjoying my nature. Tears are my right.”

All qualities should be available to everybody.

There are men who become incapable of love because they are trained for certain qualities: “You have to be hard. You have to be competitive. You are not to show emotions. You must not be sentimental.”

Now how do you expect a man who is not emotional, not sentimental, who is not allowed to feel… how can you expect him to love? And when he misses love, his life becomes miserable. And the same is happening on both sides.

Beyond Superficial Distinctions

I would like all distinctions to disappear. Everybody should be allowed everything that is naturally possible to the person whether he is a man or a woman.

And we would have a richer world consisting of richer people.

Excerpted from Beyond Enlightenment/Courtesy Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com

This was first published in the March 2013 issue of Complete Wellbeing magazine.

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