Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
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Chapter 11 / Acupuncture and CVD 171<br />
same words are used from time to time, they mean different things. For<br />
example, the spleen is not the same in classical Chinese medicine as it<br />
is in the West, because it also looks after the functions that, in Western<br />
medicine, belong to the pancreas. The pancreas does not exist in Chinese<br />
medicine, nor do the hormone-producing glands or the nervous system,<br />
including the brain.<br />
Although organs are well-defined structures in Western medicine, in<br />
Chinese medicine they are not viewed as solid components whose existence<br />
can be proven. Instead, they are defined by their functions and their<br />
mutual relationships. Therefore, Chinese medicine describes organs that<br />
don’t exist in the Western sense. The Sanjiao organ does not exist as an<br />
anatomical structure but as a functional relationship between the organs,<br />
which influence the body’s water metabolism. Feelings are also attached<br />
to the organs; for example, anger and a hot temper are linked to the liver,<br />
whereas happiness is linked to the heart.<br />
The ancient Chinese masters were not particularly interested in<br />
proofs—that these things (qi, meridians, and organs) didn’t exist in the<br />
physical sense doesn’t matter. The important thing is that in the context<br />
of the culture, the system works and, therefore, the descriptions should<br />
be understood as a poetic expression of the things we can observe.<br />
Can poetry be proved? It can be used, and we can decide whether it<br />
is worth listening to.<br />
How Acupuncture Works According to Chinese Theory<br />
Acupuncture generally works by harmonizing the body’s energy<br />
balance. In parts of the body where there is too much energy, the needles<br />
help to remove the excess and bring the body back into balance. Acupuncture<br />
in the foot to treat a headache works by taking the surplus<br />
energy away from the head. Another type of headache is best treated<br />
using needles in the hand, but from a Chinese perspective, the mechanism<br />
is still the same—the removal of an energy surplus in an acupuncture<br />
meridian. This time it is just a different meridian which is out of<br />
balance.<br />
It is important to understand that headaches can be treated in many<br />
different ways in Chinese medicine, depending on the nature of the<br />
headache and the patient’s general state. The Chinese doctor will construct<br />
a complete picture of the patient’s situation and then work out his<br />
or her treatment based on this.<br />
If the Chinese doctor decides that there is an energy deficiency somewhere<br />
in the body, the goal of the acupuncture treatment will be to supply<br />
the person with energy and to harmonize the energy that already exists<br />
in the body. This is the theory behind moxibustion, where a special herb