It is common to hear testimonials from people who doubted the benefits of acupuncture until they tried it and discovered its real health benefits. Similarly, we frequently hear accounts of individuals who embraced yoga and improved their lifestyle for the better. Ancient practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) were brought to the West with globalization and have become essential for improving the quality of life for millions of people who, until recently, were unaware of them. But, after all, what is TCM?
“Traditional Chinese Medicine originated thousands of years ago in China and consists of a set of treatment modalities and diagnostic methods that were developed from a holistic understanding of the nature of human beings and their relationships with the world around them and of which they are a part,” a definition found in the thematic booklet on TCM distributed by the city hall of São Paulo (1). Its treatment modalities include: acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary guidance, bodywork (tuina, shiatsu), body care (exercises such as tai chi chuan), mental care (meditation), and lifestyle guidance.
Chinese philosophy is based on the concept of harmony and balance of Yin and Yang and the theory of the Five Movements. We can summarize by saying that Yin and Yang are two energies that compose everything in the Universe and act in opposing yet complementary ways (e.g., darkness and light, feminine and masculine, cold and hot, dry and wet). The theory of the Five Movements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), in turn, relates the different cycles of life manifestation on Earth (moon cycles, day and night, seasons) to the human being in its various aspects (2).
According to this philosophy, there is a circulation of vital energy (Qí) throughout the body that occurs through energy channels called meridians, along which the energy points targeted for treatment in acupuncture are located. The individual's state of health reflects how the flow of this energy is within the body. Drawing a parallel, we can say that meridians transport energy in the same way that blood vessels transport blood.
Recent studies using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) techniques show that the stimulation of certain energy points corresponds to the activation of specific brain areas (3,4).
Ling Ling et al. (2012) reviewed studies that presented the effects of acupuncture revealed through genomic analysis for different diseases (hypercholesterolemia, osteoarthritis, neurological diseases, and allergic rhinitis) and also for the benefits of analgesia, immunomodulation, and antiaging (4). This recent publication shows us how broad the field of this practice is.
Current research also presents the benefits of acupuncture for women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments, where its use alleviates anxiety and enhances their fertility (5,6).
Fortunately, free access to acupuncture sessions, guaranteed by the National Policy on Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC), created in 2006 by the Ministry of Health, has allowed the number of treatments with this practice to grow significantly in Brazil. Just in the public network, between 2007 and 2010, the number of sessions increased from 97,274 to 362,100, respectively, which corresponds to a 272% increase (7).
It is important to highlight that one of the main characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that the healing process depends mainly on the individual themselves, which leads them to adopt a different attitude towards life, an attitude of “self-care.” For this, they need to expand their awareness of themselves and their relationship with the environment (1).
There is a Chinese proverb that fits well as a closing to our dialogue and as an invitation to meditation: “Every day we arrange our hair: why not our hearts?”
References:
Thematic Booklet of Traditional Chinese Medicine. City Hall of São Paulo. Municipal Health Secretariat, 2003. Available at: http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/secretarias/upload/saude/arquivos/publicacoes/MTC_CadernoTematico.pdf. ;
Sidney Donatelli. Macro and Micro cosmos. Philosophical view of Taoism and concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Volume 1 – Movements of Life. SSUA Editora. São Paulo, 2007;
Liu H, Xu J, Shan B, Li Y, Li L, Xue J, Nie B. Determining the precise cerebral response to acupuncture: an improved FMRI study. PLoS One. 2012;7(11);
Lin LL, Wang YH, Lai CY, Chau CL, Su GC, Yang CY, Lou SY, Chen SK, Hsu KH, Lai YL, Wu WM, Huang JL, Liao CH, Juan HF. Systems biology of meridians, acupoints, and Chinese herbs in disease. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med; 2012;2012:372670;
Sun ZG, Lian F, Zhang JW. [Effects of acupuncture combined with Chinese material medica for tonifying shen and soothing gan on the anxiety and depression of patients with in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation and on the treatment outcomes]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2012 Aug;32(8):1023-7. Acupunct Med. 2012 Nov 15;
de Lacey S, Smith CA, Paterson C. Building resilience: a preliminary exploration of women's perceptions of the use of acupuncture as an adjunct to In Vitro Fertilisation. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2009 Dec 12;9:50;
Data available at: http://www.acupuntura.med.br/tag/medicina-tradicional-chinesa/. Consultation on: 08/12/2012;
Image available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Acupuncture_chart_300px.jpg
