I believe that everyone has the capacity to heal themselves. This belief is shared by many holistic practitioners. What sets acupuncture apart and makes it so effective? The heart is at the center of this story.
In Classic Chinese Medicine, the heart is called “The Sovereign” and is considered the home of the Shen or spirit. According to an ancient medical text, “If the Sovereign radiates, those under will be at peace.” Happy heart, happy body. When the heart is unhappy, the Shen cannot return home and so becomes “disturbed”—which may manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, indigestion, insomnia, inability to concentrate, panic attacks, OCD, PTSD, and various chronic diseases.
Probably the simplest way to keep the heart happy is through cultivating loving feelings. The HeartMath Institute has discovered by studying electrocardiograms that loving feelings create physiological coherence, which means internal systems are more stable, function more efficiently, and are more resistant to disease. Since the heart produces the most powerful electromagnetic energy in the human body—energy that extends at least 3 feet out in all directions—it really does rule the roost. All other organs, cells, systems, processes, and sometimes even the external environment will synchronize to its signals. But isn’t it sometimes difficult to feel loving when you’re in pain or sick or stressed?
Acupuncture is a 3000-year-old system of communication with the heart. Acupuncture meridians primarily follow fascia, which is mostly made of collagen, a semiconductor. Semiconductors manage the flow of electric current. The heart’s electromagnetic emissions efficiently broadcast throughout the body through the network of acupuncture meridians, which are essentially semiconductor pathways.
Additionally, acupuncture meridians and acupuncture points have the lowest electrical resistance (7,000-70,000 OHMs) compared to the resistance of neighboring tissues (300,000-2,000,000 OHMs). The needling or electrical stimulation of acupuncture points increases local electrical resistance and amplifies the intensity of electromagnetic activity. Increased resistance causes cells and tissues to be more organized and receptive to the heart’s electromagnetic energy. In the language of Chinese Medicine, we would say that needling regulates the body’s qi. When our qi is abundant and flows smoothly, our health flourishes.
Another way acupuncture facilitates self-healing is through activating complementary physiological mechanisms, which remain inactive under normal conditions. When our bodies are injured, stressed, ill, or generally unbalanced, our primary physiological mechanisms—which typically use only 10% of available neurons, 20% of available blood vessels, and 10% of available DNA—may get overtaxed and require a boost from the body’s reserves. Acupuncture can activate those reserves.
You can heal yourself. Your body contains the wisdom. Your heart is your compass. If it leads you to acupuncture, I would be happy to guide you on your new path toward feeling great.
