Acupuncture is one of the key components of East Asian Medicine (EAM)

It is among the oldest healing practices in the world and is based in the belief that an individual’s health is influenced by the flow of the energy in the body known as “Qi” (pronounced chee). Qi, meaning the vital force of life in Chinese, may not be seen, touched, smelled or quantified by lay people. However, it is a strong force which can be accessed through acupuncture.

Qi originates from the organs and travels in channels called “meridians”. While the pathways of Qi are usually deep in the tissues, at certain spots they surface up to the skin. These spots are called “acupuncture points”. By accessing specific acupuncture points, the healing energy can be transmitted to the organs of origin and healing is aided.

Dr. Christy was trained by Dr. Richard (Teh-Fu) Tan in the Balance Method of acupuncture.

Dr. Tan: The Five Systems of the Balance Method provide the meridian connections that are used to systematically choose which channel(s) should be treated. The Five Systems achieve a dynamic balance by pairing a sick meridian with various balancing meridians that are pre-arranged in each particular system. These five relationships among the twelve channels include attributes of the meridian such as organ specification, yin or yang quality, anatomical location, Chinese clock positions, and hand or foot association. The Chinese meridian names are essential to distinguish channel relationship in the Balance method: Tai Yin, Jue Yin, Shao Yin, Yang Ming, Shao Yang, and Tai Yang.

Chinese herbal medicine is another key component of EAM
In fact, Chinese herbology accounts for the majority of treatments in EAM. Chinese herbs have been used for centuries; among the earliest literature are lists of prescriptions for specific ailments, exemplified by the manuscript “Recipes for 52 Ailments”, found in the Mawangdui tombs which were sealed in 168 BC. The oldest book on Chinese herbal medicine classifies 365 species of roots, grass, woods, furs, animals and stones.

Each custom prescription is a combination of many substances, and are tailored to the individual patient. They can be prescribed in the form of granulated herbs, dried herbs (teas), pills, or herbal extracts.