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Years ago, when I was a little boy growing up in the midwest, whenever I got really �sick� I was taken to see our family doctor. A very sweet and gentle man, I don�t recall ever receiving any treatment other than an envelop containing mysterious tablets upon which was written (in pencil) �Acetaminophen- Two tablets twice a day.� The generic form of Tylenol. I always got better but I got �sick� often.

Back then, mostly moms practiced alternative medicine, and only recently has chicken soup been recognized by the scientific community as effective in easing the symptoms of the common cold. There was plenty of good knowledge concerning health, like wearing a scarf when you go out (to keep from catching a cold), but the world saw so many amazing things come from science that these old bits of advice became lost among the glamour of wonderful things like the Salk vaccine for polio.

Today people are rediscovering much of what was lost during the last 50 years during which technology dazzled us all; partly out of nostalgia, but mostly because we lost track of valuable chunks of culture. Acupuncture, one part of what composes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), falls into that category.

So what are TCM and acupuncture, and why should you care?

Let�s start with TCM. What is considered TCM, currently practiced here and in China, is not necessarily all that traditional, as it incorporates some new things with the old. Imagine a philosophy founded in the study of nature and the elements of which it is composed; hot and cold, damp and dry, free flowing and stagnant, withered and vibrant. Think about how plants grow. Those growing with the proper balance of sun, water, good earth, and air are more pest-resistant and disease-free than those not properly nurtured. They are affected by the different seasons. Apply that thinking to humans, ad the notion of living a long life for the purpose of perfecting yourself as a human being, and you�ve a good start to understanding the philosophy.

One starting point is to consider three distinct branches of TCM. Acupuncture is often mistakenly considered the only modality in TCM. It is the practice of facilitating changes to a person using very thin needles, whether it be to relieve pain or to stimulate the immune system. It can treat all kinds of things that you might not expect, like hemorrhoids, migraine headaches, chronic cough, all kinds of pain and PMS. It�s great stuff, and can be performed fairly painlessly, because unlike the hypodermic needle the doctor uses to give an injection or take blood that tears tissue, the needles are designed to glide between the cells.

But do you really need acupuncture? Maybe you have a needle phobia and think there�s nothing an acupuncturist can do to help you. Fortunately for you, you live in California, and your acupuncturist had to study traditional Chinese herbal medicine to get their license. They may have also studied tui na massage, a form of Chinese physiotherapy. Finally, this person has been trained to detect and report to you lifestyle choices to correct the problem. These are all excellent alternative treatments that can be provided by an acupuncturist.

Do I still get �sick�? Sure, but now that�s rare, and only when I do something I know puts me at risk. I�m slowly learning to do the right things to stay healthy. There�s an old saying in TCM: The best doctor can heal the patient without herbs or needles. Now doesn�t that sound nice?

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