QI MOVES BLOOD, it really does.

To start let me first say that I believe Acupuncture to be truly ‘occult’ in its nature. That is the more you delve into its knowledge the more of said same knowledge is revealed as you are ready to accept it. So with that in mind and after 8 years of practice, I’m finally ready to accept the truism, ‘Qi Moves Blood’. It happened that recently I had an interesting experience with a client that expanded my understanding that ‘Qi moves blood’. I realize that we all know this saying but it really struck home for me when I was treating this particular patient. If you will indulge me I’ll set the situation up.

I had been treating client X (male, 58yrs) for a Kid/Liv Def Syndrome. Symptoms strongly resembled the syndrome known as Running Piglet Qi, complete with the tell tale palpitations starting in the middle heater then rising to the chest. I had been treating him for several months with slow but constant progress when I decided to do some Kyutoshin (moxa needle) on Bl-23 to help grasp the Qi in the kidneys. Normally I find this works quite well. However…….

When the client returned the following week he complained of getting significantly worse that week. Palpitations were worse, as were his headaches. Where he had been improving, the Bl-23 deeper moxa needling from the previous week’s treatment I felt was the culprit. Classically, a strengthening of the Yin Qi at Bl-23 should have helped sedate the Heart heat by helping the Kidney Qi but instead it seemed to have the opposite effect.

So, during this current treatment I focused only on strengthening the Yang Qi, with contact needling and very shallow insertions. I returned to the principle that when treating male clients one should be concerned with the yang qi and with women the yin blood. I kept the same root treatment, the same branch points as before but at a lighter, and more Yang depth of insertion.

Then as I was working my way down the Bladder meridian to the backs of the legs, again I stipulate it was just contact needling, when I noticed a distinct change in the patient. Where the legs had been tense, tight and hard to the touch, suddenly I could see the muscles twitching under the skin, blood vessels were pumping fluids and the tension that was present a minute ago dissipated.

Here I was tonifying the Qi when suddenly I could literally see the blood and flesh responding, visibly moving under the skin where there was no movement beforehand. The veins were suddenly active and the muscles were dancing, flittering away, twitching as if aiding the lymphatic flow throughout the legs.

Here it is, I thought to myself at the time, Its Qi moving the blood. I had done nothing to stimulate the deeper Yin Qi and yet here it was obviously affected by the Yang Qi stimulation. I realize that this will not change the world but it certainly changed my outlook and understanding of what we do and the effects that are possible.

After 8 years of practice I’m still finding new ways of being interested in this field, new understandings opening up to me, new realizations. It’s one of the reasons why I love Acupuncture so much.