Acupuncture Practice
Masom Gharabaghi, MD

Acupuncture dates back more than 2000 years and its origins lie in china. The name already unveils the underlying principle: needle and point, the translation of the latin word acupuncture. Over centuries the Chinese have found more than 800 acupuncture points – special points on the surface of the skin. These points are found along the so called “meridians”, which are invisible channels on the surface of our skin with connections to the inner organs. The meridians form a circle so that their beginning and end meet again. According to traditional Chinese medicine it is in this circle where our Chi flows. Chi stands for the energy of life. Imagine a blockade or interference with the flow of Chi and you have the Chinese concept of disease. The meridians have names according to the organs they have a close relation with, like meridian of the kidney, liver or stomach. All the meridians are in their quality either more Yang or Yin and each meridian has a partner who is always the opposite, e.g. a Yang meridian is coupled with a Yin meridian. It is the harmony of Yin and Yang that is the prerequisite for health. Simply spoken Yin and Yang are two opposites that cannot exist separately. Imagine for Yang the male element, the sun, fire, heaven etc.. Yin stands for female, the moon, water, the earth and so on. There should be harmony and balance between those opposites. If not we have a disturbance of – if we talk about the human body – our health. The flow of Chi is impaired. Now as we insert a needle in the acupuncture point we can influence the disturbance of the energy flow and gradually bring back the state of harmony that is health. In general it is recommended to have acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine to maintain health, thus preventing disease.