| Unlike western medicine, acupuncture has its | | | | five separate purposes that Qi serves. To |
| origins in more than merely medical theories. | | | | begin, there is the defense of the body. The |
| There is much more to acupuncture than the | | | | job of Qi here is to protect the body from |
| teachings of science professors who explain | | | | illness. Qi supposed to protect the body from |
| why acupuncture points work the way they do. | | | | allowing germs and illness to enter through |
| There is a whole philosophy to traditional | | | | the body's defensive system. |
| Chinese medicine that goes beyond the | | | | |
| scientific and explains why and how the body | | | | The next function is transformation. Qi is |
| functions the way it does. | | | | supposed to take those things the body |
| | | | consumes and transform them into the |
| The essence of this explanation centers on | | | | nutrition that the body requires. In this way |
| what is called Qi. (Pronounced by westerners | | | | it nourishes the body. By the process of |
| as chee) This Chinese philosophy teaches that | | | | transformation it makes more Qi and blood for |
| Qi is the body's essence. Qi is the body's | | | | the body. |
| energy. When this becomes unbalanced or the | | | | |
| flow somehow gets blocked or disturbed, is | | | | The next one is warmth. Qi is thought to be |
| when a person becomes ill. | | | | more yang than yin so it is naturally warm to |
| | | | begin with. But if something blocks the |
| When a person becomes ill there various ways | | | | natural energy of the body the warmth will be |
| to correct it. Some of which are Chinese | | | | affected as well. One of the most important |
| medicine uses herbal treatments, exercise | | | | jobs of Qi is to keep the body warm. The |
| patterns such as martial arts training, diet | | | | philosophy of Chinese medicine says that the |
| change, and acupuncture | | | | blood congeals when it gets cold and so the |
| | | | flow is no longer good enough. |
| Following with the philosophy of Qi, is yin | | | | |
| and yang. When talking about a person's body | | | | Qi must also take care of the body's organs. |
| yin and yang represent blood and Qi. The body | | | | Keeping them in the proper places and |
| takes its energy from the food, fluids, and | | | | ensuring they function properly. It is |
| the air it breathes. The body further gets | | | | believed that if this job is not done it can |
| energy from the environment through | | | | cause incontinence or prolepses during |
| meditation and various forms of exercise. | | | | pregnancy. |
| | | | |
| If the body's Qi becomes out of balance then | | | | The final function is movement. Every part of |
| it is unable to properly absorb the things it | | | | the body that must move is controlled by Qi. |
| needs for energy. When the body is out of | | | | |
| balance it has trouble dealing with | | | | Therefore, acupuncture can be used to correct |
| temperature, fighting disease, and tiredness. | | | | disturbed or blocked energy flow and help |
| | | | keep the body in balance. |
| According to Chinese philosophy there are | | | | |