Detox and the Return to Innocence

There is a term used within acupuncture treatment known as "the healing crisis": a rather dramatic name for a common occurrence. This "crisis" is perhaps more palatable when called a "detox period."

Many conditions that afflict the body-mind-spirit are the result of stagnation and accumulation. Some illustrative examples of this are: allergens getting stuck in the eyes, ears and nose. Otherwise known as allergies. The immune energy keeps the condition stuck in the head to prevent it from moving into the interior of the body where more serious harm could result. The body experiences an inflammatory immune reaction as it repeatedly tries to expel and/or contain the condition.

The same process can occur with psycho-emotional material as well. An experience occurs, and the body is unable to brush it off and let it go. The experience and the thoughts or emotions created from it become stuck in the chest. Agitation, restlessness and chest tightness result. The body tries to bring the emotions and thoughts up to the tongue to be released through the voice. Yet, if that fails, the unreleased energy moves back into the chest. The body will continue to try and release the stuck emotions via bringing it to the shoulders, maybe to the skin, and then to the ears and mouth: manifesting as physical and/or mental-emotional symptoms. If the issue is still not able to be released, it can move into the lower back, ribs, and finally stomach and intestines. Just like the example with allergies, similar stuckness can occur with unreleased emotions and thoughts.

When something is stuck it creates pain. Stuck energy also contributes to the accumulation of blood and fluids: a fibroid, weight gain, nasal polyps, acne: these are all examples.

Healing becomes the process of letting go of the stuckness, as well as expelling the accumulations that have occurred as a result. This is often achieved through the detox process of the healing crisis.

Acupuncture treatment works in two main ways: through building the strength and resources of the body so a full release can be achieved. Both the allergies that continually manifest in a low-grade manner, as well as the emotional holdings that progressively manifest as psycho-somatic symptoms are the result of an underlying insufficiency of energy and fluids to fully expel whatever is stuck. Perhaps the immune system has become taxed from the diet, or a person is caught up in guilt that has depleted his ability to let go of the past. Both of these scenarios can contribute to the creation of an insufficiency of energy, preventing the body from fully letting go and expelling a physical or mental-emotional pest.

Acupuncture, as it has been taught to me, owes its power to its ability to treat the individual. It does not treat diseases: it treats people who possess certain symptoms and imbalances. The treatment focuses upon the unique condition of the patient. Two persons complaining of wheezing will most likely be treated in totally different ways. Even though they possess the same symptom, they are two different people, with two different stories that have caused their symptoms. Perhaps one man's wheezing comes from a physical weakening of the kidney energy from longterm use of steroidal medications. And perhaps the other's wheezing comes from longterm unresolved fear or grief disturbing the harmonious relationship between his lung and kidney energies. Different points and different strategies will be used for each case, always based on the individual.

Once the patient's energy has been strengthened, he will begin the process of the release. It may take the form of a fluid release: nasal discharge, urination and sweat in the form of a common cold. Perhaps it will come out through the bowels. Or maybe it will be released through emotional discharge: crying or instant understanding of the issue.

I write this blog entry from inspiration I have received this week. I have been home all week with a cold. My nose has been runny, my head has ached, my throat was sore, and I've been urinating constantly. Interestingly, these cold symptoms have also been joined with a great deal of emotional release as well. Did I catch a cold from someone around me? In this case I don't think so.

I have been receiving acupuncture treatment weekly for quite awhile, understanding that a detox period was coming. During my week of detox many insights and memories arose. A new understanding of past disappointments, a rectification with the past occurred. Also, a sense of renewed innocence, hope and excitement sprung forth quite surprisingly. Who knew a cold could be such a sacred experience?

Perhaps one of the nicest things about a cold is the body's demand for calm and rest. It can be very difficult to allow a full release of "the baggage" when one's life is filled with the busyness of daily responsibilities and distractions. The body is wise. It knows what it needs. When one has made the decision to let go of the junk, the body will create a situation for this to occur.

Of course, retreating from the world for an entire week, layed up in bed with a messy cold could cause many people great frustration, perhaps even a sense of depression. Many people just keep going, refusing to acknowledge that anything is happening.

I've always seen acupuncture as a spiritually-based healing method at its root. It is no mistake that most spiritual disciplines require stillness and quiet reflection as pre-requisites for developing inner clarity and freedom. Within the spiritual "medical" treatment that is acupuncture, the healing crisis is the body's call for attention and focus as release is occurring.

The clearing of accumulations and stagnations can be seen as a return to innocence. The Buddhists often describe the enlightened state as the ability to see the world as a baby sees it: full of wonder, as if seeing it for the first time. Think if it: fluid being released from the nose, mouth and eyes: quite a physical metaphor for clearing from the organs of perception anything blocking the enlightened state of experiencing the world.

Acupuncture and "Serious" Degenerative/Autoimmune Conditions

I am very excited to share my experience treating patients with so-called "serious" conditions, such as autoimmune, cancer and degenerative diseases. My excitement comes from the positive healing experiences I've witnessed treating these conditions with acupuncture.

The power of acupuncture lies in its ability to fortify and rebuild the body's self-healing mechanism, while expelling pathogens damaging the tissues, blood and organs. Strategies within Chinese Medicine acknowledge the need to support the body's strength when eradicating harmful pathogenic factors causing disease and degeneration. A delicate balance must be maintained during treatment to prevent a further weakening of a patient's system while trying to clear inflammation or break up tumors.

Chinese Medicine was developed during the Han Dynasty of 200 B.C.E. This was an agrarian society which was centered around agriculture and very connected to the land. Pathogens, viewed through germ theory within the Western Medical tradition, are seen as wind, cold, heat and dampness within Chinese Medicine. The ancient Chinese viewed the human body as a microcosm of the Earthly elements. Therefore the body was seen to possess "weather," just like the Earth. A "wind" condition is seen as such from the nature of how it presents. Wind moves and travels, it can come on sudden, and it is often volatile and unpredictable. Cold causes things to become stuck, putting out the healthy heat of the body. Dampness congeals; it is wet and is often sticky and heavy. Heat consumes, it is hot, red and often very volatile. Germ theory can be seen through the filter of Chinese Medicine, just as the climatic factors of Chinese Medicine can be viewed through the filter of the germ theory.

Treatment through acupuncture aims to expel these pathogenic factors from the body to prevent further damage. In actuality, acupuncture supports the body in doing this itself. The body possesses self-healing, self-regulating and defensive mechanisms to prevent and resolve any pathogenic invasion. It is only when the body is over-run by a particularly strong pathogen, or when the body is weak that it requires the help of medical intervention. Chinese medicine intervenes to support the natural mechanisms of the body in healing itself.

The body possesses many ways of expelling harmful pathogens. When the body is strong, a wind-cold or wind-heat (viral or bacterial) pathogen is released from the body via the fluid system. The body sweats, sneezes or urinates the pathogen out of the body. However, if the immune system, associated with the Lung and Large Intestine Channels within acupuncture, are weak, a pathogen can gain entrance into the deeper layers of the body. This process creates inflammation, which ultimately consumes the resources of the body. The system becomes weakened, while the pathogen becomes lodged. Degeneration begins to occur: the body's strength diminishes, while intermittent attacks occur. The condition seems to come and go, all the while reeking unseen damage on the interior of the body.

Acupuncture helps to reverse the process of degeneration. The inflammation is cleared. To do this however, the body must be supported in creating adequate fluids to expel the heat. The system is strengthened at the same time it is purged. The immune energy must also be supported, so as to prevent the treatment from further weakening the patient.

I've seen numerous patients who've complained treatment from their Western doctors have drastically weakened their systems, sometimes seeming as if the treatment was hurting them more than the condition. Side-effects of drugs and surgeries are common complaints of patients.

Acupuncture treatment merely supports the body's innate self-healing mechanisms. It does not put the added stress on the body. Medications and surgeries have helped numerous people heal, however they can also put more stress on the body during the healing process. Medications need to be metabolized: this can put tremendous stress on already weakened digestive systems, further draining much needed energy. Surgeries damage the tissues of the body, requiring additional energy to repair. For a patient suffering from a degenerative disease, they may not possess the energy reserves to devote to the added stress brought on by medications and surgeries.

Acupuncture allows the body to do what it knows how to do: maintain health and restore natural order. When there is excess heat or dampness in the digestive system, the body in its innate wisdom, causes diarrhea to flush it out. When there is wind or cold in the lungs, the body coughs it out in the form of phlegm. No matter how serious the pathogen, the mechanisms for clearing remain the same. No foreign substance need be injected or swallowed to allow this healing to occur. Mere topical stimulation on acupuncture points on the skin can spark the immune system to regain its power to heal itself. This is the reason there are so few side-effects to acupuncture treatment. Nothing is added but energetic support, which reminds the body to do what it knows how to do better than any outside human medical mind.

Once the inflammation is cleared from the body, treatment can focus on resolving the root cause of the condition. Causes can be from external or internal toxins. Pollution, poisoning and weather are examples of external causes; while the emotions, diet and lifestyle are internal causes.

The true goal of acupuncture treatment is eradication of the process that has caused the condition to manifest altogether. This is why there is such a strong psycho-emotional aspect to acupuncture treatment. Often it is a patient's lifestyle or unresolved emotions that cause their medical conditions. Lifestyle choices must be examined. Emotions must be resolved.

Acupuncture is empowerment therapy. It educates patients about their bodies; helps people own their emotions and gain control of their choices. It empowers people to free themselves from the forces that weaken them. This is also the image of the acupuncture needle in treatment. The needle does not put anything into the body: it merely empowers the body and mind to regain control and claim responsibility for its own health and healing. It is one of the most natural, organic healing modalities in existence: and also one of the most effective.

The Power of Energetic Medicine

A different type of thinking is required when accepting acupuncture's therapeutic power. A patient of mine didn't believe me when I said acupuncture could penetrate the joints without needling to go into the joint with a needle. Yes, this is true. Acupuncture is energetic medicine. Energy is something that cannot be seen. It can certainly be felt. Modern physics is perhaps the closest way of seeing acupuncture. The biological way of looking at the body is largely structure-based, while physics concerns itself with energy which is often invisible.

The body is composed of roughly 72 energy channels that travel through all of its exterior and interior. The acupuncture points are located on the external anatomy of the body. However the channels connected to these points delve deep into the interior of the body: into the organs, joints, bones, blood vessels, even the DNA.

There are layers of energy flow within the body. Superficial energy of the skin and muscles, deeper energy of the blood vessels and flesh and the deepest energetic level of the bone and marrow. Each of the these energetic layers can be accessed through acupuncture points along the skin.

When we are able to shift our thinking from the concrete view of substance into that of energy, the science of acupuncture can be grasped. Chinese scientific philosophy sees the universe as composed of energy that takes on different degrees of density. Modern physics shares much of this view. Energy in its most dense form becomes substance: what we feel as solid. The next subtler form is liquid: we can still see it, yet it is less solid, with the ability to change shape. The most subtle degree of energy is the gaseous state. Gas cannot be seen, sometimes it can be felt.

The body possesses each of these degrees of energy: the bone, flesh and organs are solid, the blood and fluids are liquid, and the energy within the channels of the body are gaseous. The fact that each part of our bodies are interconnected, as well as the law that energy can be transformed (not created or destroyed), shows how utilizing the subtlest substance within the body can effect the less subtle substances. Working with energy within the channels of the body sends messages to the flesh, bone, blood and organs. This energy can be transformed from its gaseous state into the liquid state of blood, or even into the solid state of flesh. The subtle, invisible energy manipulated by acupuncturists can build blood or rebuild the flesh; it can even transform pathological substances within the body into something usable by affecting function of the organs of the body.

Energy, like blood, flows and moves. The respiration process described in Western biological science illustrates how subtle energy flows via the blood to all of the tissues of the body, sending messages, exchanging, transforming, promoting healing and growth. The blood moves from the heart into the lungs via blood vessels: the blood carries the oxygen-gas of the lungs throughout the entirety of the body.

The Chinese discovered points along the exterior of the body where the subtle energy flow could be communicated with. Thousands of years of study allowed the Chinese to document which points communicate with which areas of the body. It was discovered that points on the toes for example, communicate with areas as far away as the sense organs of the face; or a point in the lower leg communicates with the genitals; or a point of the arm with the heart.

Beyond simple point energetics, however, channel energy flow shows how the deeper layers of the body are communicated with. Within the energetic anatomy of the body, there are 12 muscular channels that communicate with the muscles and skin of the body; 16 Blood-related channels that communicate with the body's blood vessels; 12 channels that communicate with the internal organs; 12 channels that communicate with the joints and bones; and finally 8 constitutional channels that communicate with the brain, uterus, marrow, spine, as well as the DNA.

Each of the body's roughly 72 channels possess points along the external anatomy of the body. The acupuncturist can access these channels through needling points on the skin. There are various methods of opening the energetic layers of the channels, via needling technique and point combinations.

Through opening the Divergent Channels, which communicate with the joints and bones, conditions within these areas can be addressed. The subtle energy of the channels can be used to clear out or transform any swelling, debris or inflammation within the joints. It can also be used to rebuild the bone and/or cartilage through its transformation into blood and substance, as well as its ability to effect function of the internal organs.

When someone has a problem within a joint, they can go for surgery, have their doctor cut into the joint and remove the debris, or they can take a pill to dampen the fire burning within the joint. Or they can allow an acupuncturist to place a few very thin, painless needles along specific points on the skin, which will send the subtle, gaseous energy of the body into the site of injury to expel the inflammation through urination, rebuild the structure through transforming into nourishing blood, and clear the debris through breaking it down and expelling it.

Addressing the joint problem with acupuncture, however will have very few side-effects. There will be no surgery to recover from, no medication for the body to metabolize, no disruption of the body's natural healthy functioning. While the problem is cleared away, the body will actually be strengthened. To insure the problem is resolved, and doesn't come back, the digestive and immune systems will be fortified at the same time the injury is cleared. This is the beauty of systemic medicine like acupuncture: one can treat the site of pain or disharmony, as well as strengthen the body's health and strength in general.

More people should know about this.

Strengthening Immunity Through Acupuncture

Chinese Medicine is due to take its place as one of the best ways to resolve chronic conditions that are degenerating the body. In order for this to happen, the truth about chronic degenerative conditions must be explored and understood. What is it that causes the body to weaken and become overrun by forces that break it down?

Within classical Chinese medicine, immunity is the most important force within the body. The energy that is the equivalent of the modern concept of the immune system is "yang qi." When the yang qi is strong, outside forces cannot get into the body to cause damage. It is only when the yang qi is weak that germs can cause illness. Why is it that some people do not catch the colds of those around them, and others pick up anything that is going around? The person who remains healthy probably has strong yang qi. Preventative medicine therefore focuses on optimizing the body's yang qi.

Unfortunately, many of us have weakened our yang qi through the use of over-the-counter cold medications, antibiotics, steroid medications, inappropriate diets, emotional overwhelm or overwork. Growing up in Nebraska, every time I caught a cold, my doctor would give me an antibiotic. The cold would go away. However, knowing what I know now, I understand that the antibiotic didn't resolve the condition: it didn't kill the germs as my mother believed, but pushed them deeper into my body. The steroid inhalers I used for years to control my chronic asthma symptoms weakened my body's yang qi.

The ancient Chinese saw the inflammatory response of the immune system as a positive aspect of the healing process. Cold and wind (climatic metaphors for virus and bacteria in Chinese Medicine) were seen as outside forces that come into the body to cause damage. The inflammatory response that cause symptoms we associate with cold and flu is the body's yang qi attempting to resolve the condition. Even within classical Western medicine this was accepted medical thought. "Give me a chance to create a fever and I will cure any disease:"a famous quote by Parmenides. Louis Pasteur is quoted as saying" "the germ is nothing: the terrain is everything."

Yang qi is seen as a heat mechanism within the body that essentially burns up the germs, creates sweat and fluid discharge to flush out the germs. The symptoms of a cold or flu are the positive healing mechanisms to fully resolve a condition in its initial stages. When the symptoms are suppressed, the yang qi of the body is weakened, allowing the germs to make their way into the deeper terrains of the body where they lurk. A lurking condition begins to consume the resources of the body, eventually weakening the person. Anything stuck within the body will create heat. At this stage the heat is different from the productive heat of the yang qi. The heat produced from a stuck external germ is stagnant heat. Almost like the heat produced when we are feeling frustrated. This heat burns us up.

When yang qi is weakened, the problem can be sublimated into the joints. The yang qi is shuttled with the germ into the joint where it continues to fight. This diversion of the yang qi bastardizes it. Instead of remaining on the outer borders of the body where it belongs, it is brought inside, where it causes internal damage.

This brings to my mind the image of a battle within a walled ancient city. When the battle is being fought outside the city gates, there is little damage to the homes and people within the walls of the city. Yet, if the walls are breached, the battle comes inside: homes are burned, people are killed and big problems begin to occur. Imagine this scenario: a city is under attack. The soldiers rush to the outer walls of the city to fight. Yet for some reason, the king of the city decides to remove some of the soldiers from the borders because he needs them to run the shops within the city, as to not disrupt daily city life. The borders become overrun, and the fight continues within the city. Houses are burned, civilians get caught in the crossfire. The internal problems are due to a bad decision by the king. If he would have continued reinforcing the outer borders of the city, the invaders could have been stopped, and internal damage would have been avoided. However, to do this, daily activity within the city would have been interrupted for a time. To me, this seems acceptable if it would prevent the internal domain of the city from being attacked.

This is essentially the process that occurs in the body. Unwillingness to interrupt daily activity allows the battle to move into the internal terrain of the body, allowing temporarily relief, yet causing damage overtime. The deception is: once the condition is allowed into the interior of the body, symptoms may disappear for awhile. The cold symptoms go away, and everything seems fine. Yet, inevitably the condition will reappear in a different form: often that of degeneration.

My mother was taught that fever was dangerous, and needed to be stopped. So she inadvertently gave me medicine that weakened my defenses, allowing the condition to move inside my body, creating internal degeneration: chronic asthma, digestive problems, susceptibility to infection.

It must be stressed that a condition must be controlled through working with a medical professional. At times of attack, the body does require support: fluid regulation, boosting of yang qi. Also, symptoms of the healing process can be eased with acupuncture without weakening the immune energy.

A teacher of mine said he believed acupuncture to be such a powerful healing modality for the simple fact that no substance is put into the body. Acupuncture adjusts the energy within the body; it does not rely on any foreign medication. It strengthens without any residue to be metabolized or detoxed. It is a powerful way to rebuild and maintain the body's defenses against foreign invaders.

Faith and Courage Within Insecurity

This seems to be a time of great fear and uncertainty. I don't recall so many people around me feeling as vulnerable as they appear lately. Certainly the economic difficulties of the past year contribute. Being in a time of war, and the memory of the war being brought to our own land is also contributing to a sense of insecurity. One can retreat into fear and despair at times such as these. However, periods of uncertainty can also allow us to examine the issue of security in general: where does our sense of security come from? What is the base upon which our lives are built? In a world that is constantly shifting, how do we keep from falling apart every time we are faced with change, instability and uncertainty?

Many of the greatest innovations within Chinese Medicine occurred during times of great instability. The time of the Warring States allowed the birth of the great medical classic The Nei Jing, upon which Chinese Medicine is based. Times of epidemic also brought revolutionary contributions to the medicine. These times of difficulty pushed both the medical field and the common folk to examine what it takes to maintain and restore health.

During the time of the Nei Jing a greater emphasis was placed upon personal responsibility in maintaining health. The word responsibility is not meant as a judgmental term. Its intention is not to shame people, but to help set them free. Responsibility gives a person back a sense of control and action. It is very easy to feel a victim when difficulty arises in life: in one's health, financial security or relationships. Being a victim strips a person of responsibility and therefore the ability to change or improve their circumstances. It is a self-defeatist state.

Fear is the biggest hindrance to a sense of responsibility. The Buddhists often describe the habitual human mind as caught in fearful resistance to pain and discomfort, addictively grasping for pleasure and comfort. This puts a person into a state of bondage. Both states cause suffering: the pain for obvious reasons, the pleasure for the simple fact that sooner or later it will end.

Taoist philosophy views human life as possessing a curriculum, or lesson the spirit has chosen to explore. The spirit calls to a person challenges to cultivate wisdom. Within each challenge is the opportunity to transcend the difficulty.

Transcendence within Taoist philosophy comes from letting go of resistance. The more we fight, the tighter our internal knots become. Fear of pain causes us to resist the pain, causing suffering to increase and endure. It's like being caught in a giant spider web, panicking, struggling: allowing ourselves to become more tightly enmeshed.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that non-resistance is easy. I have experienced many sleepless nights in my life: caught in nameless fear, unable to relax: spinning myself tighter into the web of my insecurity. When I've asked myself what it is I'm afraid of, the only answer I can come up with is: uncertainty.

A great Chinese physician of the ancient time, has said all fear is fear of oneself. Within Chinese Medicine, fear is associated with the Kidneys and Gallbladder. The Kidney is associated with the essential self. To many of us, our true selves are a mystery. The imagery of the Kidney suggests this is natural. One of the chief acupuncture points on the Kidney meridian associated with fear is called "The Mysterious Dark Gate." When one looks into oneself, they look into a mysterious space filled with darkness. The idea of meditation is shining the light of the Heart down into the mysterious darkness of the Kidney.

If looking into the mysterious depths of the self is associated with such fear, why do it? It is the Gallbladder that answers this question. The Gallbladder is the bridge between the meridians representing our normal daily life, and those representing our evolution: past and future. Taoist philosophy believes the curriculum is a given: one has chosen to explore certain issues. There is no escape from these lessons. If one cannot transcend these lessons in this life, they are brought by the Gallbladder into the next. The Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron calls this "the wisdom of no escape."

As I am worrying myself into a tight net of suffering, all I am trying to do is escape. From what? The Gallbladder would say: myself. I am running away from my true self from lack of faith. If the challenges I'm being faced with were brought to me by my spirit, running from them is running from my spirit. Why would I want to run from my spirit; from myself? Another Kidney point provides an answer to this question. The point "Yin Metropolis" teaches that one must be within society to learn lessons to cultivate the spirit and know the self. The "Yin" aspect of the metropolis is the calm focus rooted in the self. The faith that comes from connection to the mystery of the self allows a calm demeanor amidst the busyness of the city. When one lacks faith and focus on one's inner self, focus is directed outwards into the unpredictable world. It is like the ocean: on the surface the water is choppy and rough; yet below the surface, the water is calm and easier to navigate.

The fear in diving below the surface of the ocean, into the darkness of the self is rectified by the Gallbladder, which has the power to connect a person to his "marrow." Within Chinese Medicine, the Brain is seen as the "Sea of Marrow:" the depository of the experiences of all lifetimes. At the very top of the head lies the point "100 Meetings:" a point containing the image of meeting with the ancestors. When one is brought out of the small minded fears of daily survival into a greater view of where we come from, we can be emboldened. Taoist philosophy believes we inherit all that is unresolved within the family line. It is passed on to us. Therefore, "100 Meetings" can provide the awareness that we have the entire family line standing behind us: they all want us to succeed in resolving our lessons, as they will benefit as well. Courage can take the place of fear.

I cannot help but see all difficulties of health, mind and spirit in a spiritual light. For me, this has always been the way to transform my (sometimes debilitating) fear into courage. This is the main reason I decided to become an acupuncturist. I needed a compass along my journey. There needed to be a reason for my suffering. As well as a way out of it. I desire freedom. The Nei Jing provides this compass. I was not finding within the "metropolis" the compass I needed. It is very moving to me that the name of the second book of the Nei Jing is translated as "The compass of the soul." To me, this is powerful medicine. A way to maintain and restore health, as well as a way to move toward freedom and wisdom.

When the insecurity comes, when fear overwhelms, when worry ties a knot in the abdomen, or anxiety puts a brick in the chest: meditate on the very top of the head, asking for the courage and expanded view from "100 Meetings." Bring that energy down through "The Mysterious Gate" at the meeting on the ribs under the chest, through the "Yin Metropolis" near the center of the abdomen, down into the Kidneys. Breathe. Know that your spirit chose this: not to punish you, but to set you free.

The Valor of the Healing Process

Healing can be a fascinating process when we surrender to it. At times it can become the center of our lives: requesting our time, our energy and focus.

We all lead busy lives: especially those of us who live in New York City. It can be rare for us to slow down. Many of us are resistant to slowing our pace. There are many people to see, so much to accomplish. The great food of the city, late night excitement and competitive drive to be better can keep us in constant motion.

The process of unraveling an old knot takes times and focus. This is a metaphor frequently used to describe a stubborn condition of the body, mind or spirit. When we lack energy, time or willingness when confronted by an environmental and/or emotional issue, the issue can become sublimated into the deeper areas of the body. The sublimated material, be it a virus or emotional conflict, gets placed into a type of "closet" within the body. These include the joints, the throat, the "spare tire" around the belly and the blood vessels.

Whatever has been shoved into the "closets" of the body does not go away: it lurks. The body uses its resources to keep the sublimated material hidden from the conscious mind, or primary systems of the body. Resources that would normally be used to support daily activity and growth are diverted toward managing the old sublimated issues. We literally becomes depleted by repressed physical and emotional material we have not resolved.

The healing process within Chinese Medicine often involves allowing sublimated material to come out of the closets. Unresolved toxins and mental-emotional conflicts are brought to the surface level of the body where they can be fully resolved by the conscious mind and/or immune system. This stage of the healing process is known as "the healing crisis." The condition may appear to get worse during this time. Flu-like symptoms may arise: either through the respiratory or digestive system; emotions may become more volatile; hauntings from the past may come back into the conscious mind and/or dream-state.

The condition is not getting worse during the stage of healing crisis: it is being brought out of its parasitic, lurking state where it can be completely resolved. This critical stage requires the energy, time and focus the person was unable to devote to the condition in the past. This is why a healing crisis is often delayed within treatment until strength and willingness to handle it are cultivated.

Willingness is a major factor in the complete resolution of a condition. Conditions can be managed for a long time. Management is a valid choice which must be respected by the acupuncturist. I believe the true responsibility of the acupuncturist is to educate the patient about the process occurring in her body, so she can make a choice as to how she wishes to work with it.

The healing crisis can require a period of slowing down, nurturing oneself, going to sleep early, spending more time alone, managing cold symptoms without suppressing them, or facing uncomfortable memories and emotions from the past. A woman with a newborn baby probably will not have the time or energy to devote to this type of process, for example.

The power of the healing crisis can be life-changing. A patient came to me a few months ago with memory loss. She knew there were extremely traumatic events in her past, which she thought she' d worked through. However during treatment, memories began resurfacing. The patient was led into a period of despair and deep depression. She would sob during treatment, expressing tremendous grief. I continued to support her body's resources to allow her the strength to move through her healing crisis. She said the emotions she was feeling were those of a tremendous traumatic loss that occurred years ago. I explained this was the process of fully resolving them: getting them out of the body so they would cease to consume her blood and energy. The healing crisis hit a peak, after which the patient began to look years younger. She described feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart. She said she had stopped feeling sorry for herself: a major change she'd not experienced since childhood. When her spirit had stabilized, we moved onto resolving chronic tension in the shoulders, which brought out more memory, emotion and redemption.

A healing crisis is like a spiritual quest. We encounter many challenges throughout our lives. Chinese Medicine views these challenges as necessary in the cultivation of our spirits. Within Taoist philosophy, anything not resolved in this life gets carried onto the next. They don't go away. Sooner or later they have to be faced. Challenges are not meant to torture us, but to help us evolve. The time and energy required for the resolution of physical and mental-emotional challenges is worth it. It is a path toward freedom. Often it requires tremendous faith and courage. It calls to mind the name of an acupuncture point along the Lung Meridian called "Valiant White." White represents the ability to let go of something. Valor is the heroic courage it requires to do so. Becoming free requires nothing less.

Freedom from the past: Working on the Blood.

To work with the mental-emotional level within acupuncture means to work with blood chemistry. Altering blood chemistry affects brain chemistry. Practicioners within alternative medical therapies often speak of "blockages" as a simplistic way to describe what's going on inside the body. What does blockage mean? Blockage of what? Within acupuncture language, mental-emotional disturbances are often due to blockage of blood.

Chinese Medicine acknowledges ageing and degeneration as due to the stagnation of blood. Blood is seen to conduct consciousness: the mind and spirit. Stagnation of blood is stagnation of the mind: rigidity and fixation. My teacher uses the term "psycho-sclerosis" to describe this process: the hardening of one's attitude. Buddhist spiritual teaching describes enlightenment as becoming like a child once again: regaining the ability to see the wonder of the world anew at each moment. The ageing process occurs when we become stuck: seeing the world through the filters of the past.

When the blood becomes stuck in a particular channel, it fails to nourish the areas of the body the channel travels to. It also blocks the channel's mental and emotional development.

For example, when the blood becomes stagnate in the Kidney Channel, it can result in paranoia and obsessive compulsive behavior. In health, the Kidney channel governs willpower and faith. When the blood becomes stuck, the Will becomes misguided: acting out compulsively, often in destructive ways. The Will becomes fixated on a particular objective, becoming obsessive. The power of the Will begins to act in ways not socially acceptable, even detrimental to the safety of the self and others. Stagnation of blood creates deficiency of blood within the channel, leading to paranoia. The spiritual attribute of the Kidney fails to be nourished, as the blood is being channeled into the obsession, leading to lack of faith. The person is out of touch with his truth, thinking and acting in ways unnatural to him, often contrary to the well-being of himself and others. The Kidney governs the ears, which in this case are not being nourished by clean blood: the person begins to fear others talking about him. Perhaps he is afraid the world is out to get him: to take away what he is obsessively craving, or punish him for the anti-social behavior being acted out.

Treatment of blood stagnation can be very powerful. I have seen people's entire demeanor change quite quickly. A woman came to me a couple years ago. Her chief complaint was emotional. She was unable to control her emotions. She felt extremely vulnerable around others, and would cry uncontrollably whenever confronted. The confrontation could be as benign as being given constructive criticism. Any type of tension within a social situation would lead to hysterical crying, which she was unable to control. I diagnosed the patient with blood stagnation in the Pericardium Channel leading to blood deficiency. Her symptom is classic to disruption of blood within this channel. After treating only two points on her arm, the patient had a large emotional release, and left my office feeling very calm. The next week, she returned to report that her emotional symptoms had disappeared. They never returned.

Sometimes resolution of a chronic symptom happens that fast. Other times, it takes longer to process the trauma to the channel. Often a period of strengthening the body must occur to prepare for release of the blockage.

My experience of working on the mind and emotions via the blood is a process of redemption from the traumas of the past. I've seen it as a way to become free, like the innocent child the Buddhists describe as the enlightened being.