It is an exciting time to be in the field of acupuncture and integrative medicine because there is so much attention being put into understanding why acupuncture works and how we can use it best.
The area of research that is showing the most promise in explaining how acupuncture works is research investigating the fascia.
Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds, supports, cushions, and connects all of the muscles, bones and organs in your body. It is highly vascularized (lots of blood vessels), with well developed lymphatic channels and has approximately 250 million sensory nerve endings leading many researchers to propose that it is essentially our largest sense organ given its immense surface area and importance in allowing us to understand where we are in space.
And this highly connected tissue, rich in blood vessels and nerve endings, can become stuck, inflamed or otherwise altered to the point where the body can start to exhibit multi-system symptoms like pain, digestive issues, menstrual disorders, balance issues, headaches, anxiety and more.
Enter Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine: An approach to health and human performance that diagnoses based on patterns of symptoms affecting the whole body and mind and treats with this understanding in mind. Fascia gives a very realistic framework by which we can understand how an acupuncture point in your hand can effect your head or your digestion or why my most effective point for migraine headaches is on your foot!
Pretty cool, right?!
I certainly think so, and I clearly see the value in understanding this better so we can leverage our understanding to learn how to make an even bigger difference in your health and happiness.
Let me know if you have any questions about fascia, Chinese Medicine or anything else by emailing me at info@balanceatx.com or bringing it up next session. I look forward to exploring this all with you!
