It would seem to me that if Qi is related to ions, studies should be able to determine how ions are working within the body to repair meridians.

My theory concerning acupuncture is relatively simple. Sometimes people will get a cut or injury somewhere on their body that does not heal quickly - almost as if the body has 'forgotten' about the injury. Yet, if that same injury is provoked or reinjured, the body will quickly heal the area. Perhaps acupuncture is a way of making the body aware of an injury in a certain location by using needles and electric currents to 'inform' the brain of the injury and send more white blood cells, lymphocytes, etc.

Although I don't deny that homeopathic remedies work for people, it also seems that their is very little oversight of homeopathic practices. Therefore, the chance for 'quacks' is significantly more than in conventional medicine with board-certified physicians.

Yes...this is true of Homeopathy. But to defend them...allopathic therapies are nothing but 'Best Guess' too. The western medical profession is the most egotistical profession on the planet...even to their own detriment.

As to acupuncture....it IS regulated. You just don't see fly by night acupuncturist.

Chiropractic was making great strides and then for some reason began to experiment with other 'alternate' therapies in conjunction with their practice. Specifically, electro-muscular stimulation. This is often used in place of good old fasion myofacial and deep tissue work to prepare the body for correction of subluxation. It just isn't the same...is unproven...and can actually aggravate your condition. But so many Chiropractors today are taking the 'rack 'em, crack 'em' approach and just don't want to spend any significant time with a patient. Their offices have turned into assembly lines....and ruined the profession.

Massage has been recognized for thousands of years as a great benefit especially to those engaged in a physical life such as martial artists. But who today will take the time...or can afford the skilled masseuse.

As my arthritis worsens with each year....I more and more appreciate Master Yang teaching me Chi Ro Bup. Now I just have to find someone I can trust to teach it to...who will help me as I get older. Finding the right person is very difficult. Chi Ro Bup by its nature is intimate (in the sense you have to put your hands on someone...and get them to relax. The tradition actually stems out of massage practices from India) so the situation can be abused. I've given a lot of massages...but I'm very careful who I am willing to give a 'full' massage to.

JH

Master Hancock...

this is interesting to me, can you explain more about this Chi Ro bop? being a practitioner of healing arts i'm always looking for new ways to make my patients feel better...even if its only to tell them about a method that i dont know. is it pressure points? energy healing? manipulation? all of the above?

if you dont feel like telling me or want to keep the discussion private feel free to email me. -J Tang Soo.

Well...Chi Ro Bup literally translates as 'To Heal Correctly' and it involves a type of massage that is both myofacial and deep tissue. The goal being to break up the toxins in the tissue and then assist the lymphatic system in moving them out of the body. It also involves techinques that are basically the same as western Chiropractic manipulations. It was just discovered by accident really that I am a natural at this stuff and so a little time was spent showing me different things. My education wasn't organized or formal by any means. Techniques vary depending on what you want to accomplish. One of the stranger things is a cupping techniques with the hand combined with with a percussion technique that makes a soft pop when struck on the body. The purpose of which is to stimulate the capalaries and increase blood flow to that area. Actually...from what I saw...this is pretty much common over in Korea...as sort of common folk medicine..but it is massage. Almost everyone knows a little. THey would do this stuff in the barber shops as part of the service. Hell...I was getting my hair cut three times a week!! LOL!! No wonder I have no hair today!!! ROFLMAO!!

JH

JH

Legally speaking, only MDs or DOs can prescribe homeopathic remedies.

You are right in saying that there is a chance of finding someone who doesn't know what they are doing, because there are a lot of people who, whether or not they have the proper credentials, don't have the proper respect for homeopathy. It's a powerful medicine, but because side effects are non-existent, some might dole it out like candy, without taking the necessary time and/or having enough knowledge. Acute situations are usually not a problem, but for deeper chronic conitions, it is essential to have a good homeopath. But isn't there the same chance of finding a mainstream medical doctor that doesn't know what they are doing? Proper credentials or not? I have certainly met many more than my fair share of those. So.......do you your homework, no matter what path you take, I guess.

You are correct sir,
In addition Chinese herbs are in a sense allopathic themselves and at times are abuses like prescription drugs. This does not happen with an AP (acupunture physician, that is what is used in Florida). Most of the the time it happens when Western Doctors experiment without much knowledge of Chinese diagnosis. Ma Huang (Ephedra) is a perfect example. Ma huang induces sweating. It is used in TCM as ateatment for Wind Cold or flu. It was not intended for weight loss. In europe they started to prescribe it for weight loss. The Chinese dose is about 3 gram a day as needed, in the weight loss medicines it was being prescribed as 21 grams a day. Basically the kidney's overwork themselves and the body goes in to renal failure. Long story short if these doctors would study the chinese diagnosis more indepth this would not happen. Not all doctors are like this but there are few that give all health practitioners and herbs a bad name.
DT

in addition in the state of Florida a MD can study acupuncture for 200 hours and then can needle at their discretion. Without any knowledge of chinese diagnosis! I have to study the full system for 3 years (which I do Not mind at all)because I am not an MD. a little biased if you ask me.
DT

Click on this link:

HERE!

or paste this in your browser window:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Search&DB=PubMed

It will take you to the NIH PubMed (Medline database). You can put in 'acupuncture', 'homeopathy' or whatever you want to check out. Quite a bit of alternative medicines have been studied over the past 20 years..

Sir, I hope and pray that your daughter continues to improve, and lives a full and happy life.

Hello Mr. Steyer,

I find it unconscionable that alternative medicines are just now being seriously scrutinized by the US Government. It seems clear to me that an unbiased application of the Scientific Method will shed light on a subject plagued with anecdotal evidence. The scientific method makes no distinction between "herbal remedies" and "western medicine". It's merely an heuristic used to investigate the reality behind a claim. As such, results from an acupuncturist are as investigable as those of your local eurologist.

btw, the entire documentary is able to be viewed from that website.

As far as acupuncture being clinically proven by western methods, that can be a very dificult task. One of the procedures is having a "double-blind" test in which neither the patient nor the practioner knows whether or not they are getting or giving real acupuncture. On the side of the person giving the acupuncture, there are too many variables such as finding a point's proper location (a textbook location may not be what is called for during a treatment) and proper stimulation of the needles in order to have a realistic effect on the body. These are just two variables. When looking at western studies of acupuncture, many tests do not take these in consideration.

In my opinion, acupuncture is nothing but a science that we can't explain yet by western means. Remember that back in the day when people knew the medicinal usage for plants were called wicthes. For example, if a woman gave someone white willow's bark for a headache and they felt better, she was called a witch. Now a days they are called herbologists and pharmachologists.

just my $.02

Chris from CT

Hello Sir,

"As far as acupuncture being clinically proven by western methods, that can be a very dificult task. "

Difficult, but do-able.

The claim is that receiving acupuncture treatment will produce a benefit. As the Frontline special tested, some people were given a placebo (pretend needles), others were given actual acupuncture. One will then view the results. Did the actual acupuncture produce a SIGNIFICANT improvement of the placebo? If it did not, the claim of the efficacy of acupuncture is not helped...

"When looking at western studies of acupuncture, many tests do not take these in consideration. "

Though I cannot comment on the improved efficacy of electrically stimulated needles, acupuncture itself certainly ought to be effective without the juice. To claim otherwise would be to claim that the entire history of acupuncture was pure charlatanry up until a charge was put in the needles. I don't think many would make such a claim.

"Though I cannot comment on the improved efficacy of electrically stimulated needles, acupuncture itself certainly ought to be effective without the juice."

Absolutely. I should have made this more clear. When I said "stimulation," I was refering to the physical manipulation of the needles by the practitioners hand, not necessarily the addition of electrical stimulation. When a practitioner does acupuncture they are not just dropping a needile into a body at any given point. Although there are certain techniques, like those of Dr. Nguyen Van Nghi, that are inserted superficially with no physical stimulation, those are not the norm and are not for every patient nor treatment. Usually some type of manual manipulation is used once the needle is inserted.

Take care