Acupuncture Traditional Chinese Medicine vs Japanese vs Trigger Point
When I was in school I had the cutest Japanese acupuncture professor in clinic. I mean, he could have won an award for most adorable old man. I am partial to cute old Jewish men, but an old Japanese man might take the cake. He was no taller than 5’2 and maybe, with a running start, could put on a serious playschool basketball slam dunk competition.
He taught Japanese acupuncture at my school, and I decided that for a semester I would follow him in clinic to learn the art of his country’s practice. Every day his wife made me elaborate lunches in the most perfect bento boxes. A couple pieces of sushi, a small soup, a small salad. They were so delicious. I would thank him so much for the lunches. But I was growing boy, and the second my clinic shift ended I would run out to order a whole pizza and scarf it down. I was starving. I couldn’t subsist on this healthy diet.
There are many different forms of acupuncture. At the Sher Acupuncture Center I use traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. This form of medicine has been around for 300 years. It became popular in the states after the New York Times reporter James Reston was treated for an acute appendicitis using acupuncture in 1971.
When he returned to the US, he wrote about his experience (Now, About My Operation in Peking, New York Times, July 26, 1971). This article is widely regarded as the first introduction of Chinese medicine to the general American public.
This is the oldest form of acupuncture. Based on channel theory, the concept is to use fewer needles for stronger stimulation of qi which balances out the body. TCM incorporates acupuncture, herbs, cupping, gua sha, qi gong, tai chi and nutrition. TCM is based on Taoism as each organ needs to stay in balance so that the whole body is healthy. As long as yin and yang are in balance the system is in optimum health. Health is achieved in a variety of ways, but I have seen the beauty of TCM where once overall balance is achieved, one’s system will find optimum health.
Japanese acupuncture, discovered 1400 years ago, is based more on the concept of palpation or pressure on the abdomen to decide what acupuncture points are needed. This theory is comes from the beginning of Japanese acupuncture when only blind practitioners treated patients. In Japanese acupuncture the insertion of very fine needles is used very superficially. The needling is extremely light, thinner needles are inserted just through the skin surface. Japanese acupuncture is focused more on the acupuncture itself and does not include herbal treatment, cupping, or gua sha. Mugwort or moxa is used often in Japanese style acupuncture as a way of soothing, warming, and calming the body.
Trigger point or dry needling acupuncture
Chinese medicine has been around for over 3000 years. Trigger point acupuncture was invented in the last few decades. This form of needle technique is based on stimulating muscles: intramuscular stimulation. The goal is to get the muscle to jump and release, which helps pain and tightness to be relieved. Chiropractors and physical therapists can use this technique with a weekend class. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe Trigger point needling doesn’t get at the root of any problems, and doesn’t resolve balance in the body. Once the muscle is released it will go back to the same position and the patient will again need dry needling to treat the same problem.
In all my years of being an acupuncturist I have learned that no one thing helps everyone. All our bodies react in different ways. That’s why I love all the didactics of Chinese medicine. I love how with certain patients I know Chinese herbal medicine will make the biggest difference while in others a combination of acupuncture, gua sha, or even a little trigger point therapy will make the best impact. In TCM the main goal is to unblock stagnant energy and with the free flow of energy the body is able to achieve optimum health.