This series deals with acupuncture and provides a guide for careful Christian engagement with this eastern healing practice. Here are quick links to each part in the series:

• Part 1: Scientist, Artist, or Priest?
• Part 2: Who Is Your Priest?
• Part 3: The Power of Moxibustion
• Part 4: Key Facts on Acupuncture
• Part 5: Will Acupuncture Jeopardize My Christian Faith?

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Acupuncture is a safe Eastern practice except for when it is practiced as a religious practice. Scientific study of acupuncture reveals its effectiveness in a variety health conditions. However, as a Christian believer it is very important that you understand where to set the boundaries. Priestly practices of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in general are given to dark and oppressive forces that will harm spiritual health in an unfavorable way.

Receive

Acupuncture is safe and effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and enhancing immune health. It has been known to stimulate defense mechanisms of the body to fight against disease. When acupuncture is used as a practice for its known medical benefits, with its safety evaluated, and it is practiced medically by an acupuncturist trained as a medical practitioner, then an individual’s faith is not in jeopardy. The key here is to be sure that you thoroughly research the practitioner’s credentials and the outcomes of use in your current health application.

Reject

Shaman and Buddha are roots of harmful priestly practices of acupuncture. Ritualistic uses of needles are dedicated as a sacrificial act of worship in the worship of Buddha and dark entities within Buddhism. This is in direct opposition to Christian faith and the Bible and must be rejected. There are many traditional acupuncturists that do practice with ritualistic and priestly authority. The Christian will be harmed spiritually when embracing these types of practices. An example of this is the use of Moxibustion, which is the burning of Chinese Mugwort incense that is supposed to take away bad energy and revitalize body Qi.

Redeem

The acceptable practices within acupuncture are the use of approved and medically safe acupuncture needles to address legitimate health conditions that are documented in the literature recognized as safe and effective. The key words are medically practiced and regarded as safe. Medical acupuncture uses sterile needles and sterile techniques in clinical applications. A Christian should not use acupuncture if there is questionable legitimacy, safety, and medical benefit.

Relate

Faith is to be active and renewed daily. Acupuncture in and of itself will not hinder your faith. The failure to be obedient to God’s known direction for your health will. Holy Spirit-directed healing is based upon prayerful, careful, and submissive action to this divine leadership. Compromising dark forces within healing systems like acupuncture will have consequences upon faith and must be avoided. The same Spirit with the same powerful healing that is consistent with his purpose for your healing will not deceive. We are not to be given to deceptive spirits and deceptive teachings.

"For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Cor. 12:8-11).

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Key Terms Regarding Acupuncture

• Meridian: In traditional Chinese medicine, a channel or pathway through the body along which qi flows. Practitioners use acupuncture points to reach the meridians and affect the flow of qi.
• Qi: In traditional Chinese medicine, the vital energy or life force proposed to regulate a person’s spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): An Eastern medical system that originated in China. It is based on the concept that disease results from disruption in the flow of qi and imbalance in the forces of yin and yang. Practices such as herbs, meditation, massage, and acupuncture seek to aid healing by restoring the yin-yang balance and the flow of qi.
• Yin and Yang: The concept of two opposing yet complementary forces described in traditional Chinese medicine. Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects. A major theory is that health is achieved through balancing yin and yang, and disease is caused by an imbalance leading to a blockage in the flow of qi.
• Five Element Theory: The Five Element theory is used to explain the cause of particular diseases, and to associate signs or symptoms with particular organs and afflictions. In the context of "phases," the Five Element theory helps to explain the processes that are occurring in the body throughout various stages of disease and healing. The Five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. For more information, check out this link: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/fiveelementtheory.php

The Practice of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Scientists are studying the efficacy of acupuncture for a wide range of conditions.

Few complications have been reported from the use of acupuncture. However, acupuncture can cause potentially serious side effects if not delivered properly by a qualified practitioner, due to its use of needles and energetic principles.

If practiced in the strict Buddhist tradition it can be risky for the Christian believer. There are Buddhist rituals practiced that are contrary to biblical principles, for example, dedication of needles in sacrificial worship to Buddha and other gods associated with Buddhism.

There are channels known as meridians. Fourteen of them are considered main channels "connecting the body in a web-like interconnecting matrix" of at least 2,000 acupuncture points.

Acupuncture in the United States

Acupuncture became better known in the United States in 1971, when New York Times reporter James Reston wrote about how doctors in China used needles to ease his pain after surgery.

American practices of acupuncture incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. Acupuncture use in the United States continues to grow, and ongoing research continues to validate its use in varied health conditions.

A report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997 stated that acupuncture is being "widely" practiced—by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists, and other practitioners—for relief or prevention of pain and for various other health conditions.

According to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey—the largest and most comprehensive survey of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by American adults to date—an estimated 8.2 million U.S. adults had ever used acupuncture, and an estimated 2.1 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in the previous year. A recent survey not concluded yet for 2009 estimates that 6 million adults will have used acupuncture as a form of treatment.

Check out this website for more information regarding traditional chinese medicine and acupuncture: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/.

To be continued.

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A Funny Story

In my years of practicing medicine I have heard many amazing and humorous stories about healing encounters. This one had me in stitches of laughter. A man had chronic, excessive body heat and sweating. He had been seen by many traditional physicians, but no cause was found. A friend recommended that he see an acupuncturist in Chinatown who had a reputation for clearing such strange symptoms. Even so, he was nervous about his first acupuncture experience.

He arrived at the Chinese acupuncturist’s office and was met with strange aromas of moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. Moxibustion has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years; in fact, the Chinese character for acupuncture, translated literally, means "acupuncture-moxibustion." The purpose of moxibustion, as with most forms of traditional Chinese medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, and maintain general health. It is a strong aroma and can smell like something is burning.

This Is How They Do It in China

The patient realized that he was seeing a truly traditional and authentic man, as he did not speak any English. The doctor motioned him to the table, and then motioned to him to take off all of his clothes. He did as he was instructed, and the doctor began treatment. He had 20 needles at different points on his face, arms, legs, back, and feet. Just after the last needle was inserted, the doctor was distracted by smoke that was coming under the doorway of his office.

FIRE, FIRE, FIRE

He didn’t seem too alarmed at first, because moxibustion creates a good amount of smoke at times, so it could have been the practitioner next door. At this point the patient was wondering if he should have ever listened to his friend regarding this treatment. When the Chinese doctor opened the door, he began to scream in Chinese and English, "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!" The patient, with no clothes on and all these needles, jumped up, looked through the door, and saw that the entire office was going up in flames. He and the doctor fled and managed to get out of the building safely. From that time this patient has never had another bout with excessive body heat and sweating again—he was cured!

To be continued.

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The Source for Christian Practioners

Of course, the Bible is the source of wisdom and healing for the Christian believer, and healing practiced as a Christian defers to the one God of all. Even in Christianity there have been traditional healing practices passed down through the ages. However, traditional healing practices in Christianity are not always Bible-based. It is crucial to know whether a healing practice follows Scriptural context. Should it not follow this standard, then it becomes necessary to search with fear and trembling as to whether it is approved by God as a practice to follow at all!

Jesus Our Divine High Priest

Jesus Christ is our High Priest and provided the standard of holy, unadulterated healing in his healing ministry. Rite, ritual, cultural, and traditional elements do not put a permissive stamp on a particular healing practice even for the Christian. The will of God supercedes all of this, as it is only God who can move such a healing work upon us. According to Merriam-Webster, a priest is "one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion as a mediatory agent." For Christians, our priest is God Supreme through Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. For other religious systems, it is whomever or whatever their gods they may be.

The Lethal Combination

The Scientist practitioner can blend the artistic and priestly functions together. If a practitioner is blending all three of these elements and is not a professed and practicing Christian, this automatically becomes a "no go" situation. All three of these elements practiced by anyone other than a true practicing Christian is automatic grounds for suspicion. I advise that you do not allow such a practitioner to work with you during your most vulnerable time of need for healing! You need to know beyond a doubt that a practitioner is safe before you proceed. Even the artist practitioner needs to be approached with caution if not a Christian believer.

Check It Out!

In conventional (allopathic) medicine, the practitioner usually spends less time with the patient and is practicing from a rational scientist-based approach. However, increasing numbers of healthcare workers are becoming familiar with powerful elements of the Eastern system and are beginning to share it more regularly. Most essential is that you know God’s directive, that your boundaries are respected, and that you make sure to check out the sources carefully!

Acupuncture Is an Eastern Practice

Acupuncture is considered an Eastern healing practice. This is a healing practice of antiquity. It is considered a part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been practiced for thousands of years. The key aim of acupuncture is to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific anatomical points (meridians) on the body, which we will discuss further. In the United States, acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, it is also practiced in many parts of Asia other than China, including Korea and Japan.

Acupuncture Defined

The term "acupuncture," by definition, is a family of procedures involving the energetic stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has most often been studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

To be continued

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Scientist, Artist, or Priest?

Acupuncture is our first topic of discussion in our A-Z series in breaking down the individual practices/modalities in alternative medicine and alternative healing practices. However, before we begin, it is essential to explain how practitioners may approach their healing philosophy. It is important to know particulars and specifics of certain practices, but it is most important to know where a practitioner is coming from. I propose that a practitioner of a healing practice can philosophically approach healing as a scientist, an artist, and/or a priest.

The Scientist

The scientist practitioner will be practicing on a proof-based philosophy using the scientific method to substantiate why a specific healing practice would work and move toward proving the hypothesis. Documenting, tracking, and moving toward reproducibility are the scientist's objectives. This approach is based upon a rational process of scientific logic.

Blending the Scientist With Other Roles

A practitioner that hones a scientific approach without blending the artistic or priestly aspects of the healing practice is generally safe and will not become a threat to Christian belief, providing there is an excellent recommendation and reputation of expertise and professionalism. Safety should always be assessed in the decisions of the scientist practitioner. Respect for the boundaries of Christian faith by the scientist practitioner is essential. The scientist practitioner can also practice as an artist as well. The combination of scientist and artist is generally safe as long as there aren't any priestly practices that are pagan and anti-God.

The Artist

The artist practitioner may or may not practice as a scientist or a priest and generally personalizes healing, offering the intuitive aspects of healing, which can be offered apart from religious priestly activity. An artist practitioner doesn't operate from a proof-based point of view but mainly from a nurturing and intuitive framework. As with the scientist practitioner, a high degree of professionalism, excellent reputation, safety, and a respect for the boundaries of Christian faith are essential in the artist practitioner.

Empiricism and the Artist

An artist uses an empirical process that may have no evidence as to how or why a practice works and may not be able to reproduce the same results in another individual. Empiricism, according to Merriam-Webster, simply means "a former school of medical practice founded on experience without the aid of science or theory."

The Priest

The priest practitioner focuses upon the religious rite and ritual of a particular cultural healing system with all its hand-me-downs and folklore given through the centuries by the wisdom of the ancients. For instance, the Veda (Hindu Bible) is the source of all wisdom to the Ayuervedic priest, as is the Buddha-Dharma (Buddhist Bible) to Buddhist priest.

To be continued.

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