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What Is Qi?
Qi (pronounced chee)
is one of the fundamental aspects of Chinese Medicine. It has been
translated to mean “energy”, “material force”, “matter”, “ether”,
“matter-energy”, “vital force”, “life force”, “vital power”, or “moving
power”. Ted Kaptchuk, in his book The Web That
Has No Weaver says ”…we can think of qi as matter on the verge of becoming energy, or energy
at the point of materializing.” As eloquent as this definition is, it
doesn’t quite capture the essence of qi.
Qi can be anything; it can assume any
form. The very nature of qi is dynamic. “Qi is the very basis of the universe’s infinite
manifestations of life, including minerals, vegetables and animals.” What
does this mean to us?
Qi is the energy behind every process in
our body. If our qi is blocked we can have many
different symptoms, including, but not limited to; pain, fatigue,
allergies, digestive problems and emotional disorders.
Qi assumes different forms. The Upright Qi or Zheng-Qi has three
components:
1) Original
or Prenatal Qi (Jing
Qi) which comes from our parents at conception
and is stored in the kidneys
2) Grain
Qi (Gu Qi) which we get from the food that we eat.
3) Clean
Qi (Kong Qi) that
is extracted by the lungs from the air we breathe.
These
three kinds of qi combine to form the qi that circulates in our body. We have 12 major energy
pathways that carry qi throughout the body. If we
think of these pathways as irrigation canals we can look at the acupuncture
points as the gateways that direct the qi. In
acupuncture, we use the needles to open and close these energetic pathways.
By directing qi out of places with too much
(excess qi) and into areas of the body that have
too little (deficient qi), we bring the body into
balance. This creates an environment that allows healing.
Qi has five basic functions in the body:
1) Promoting:
This refers to the regulation and promotion of the physiological
activities of the internal organs, the meridians, the
circulation of blood and the distribution of body fluids.
2) Warming:
This refers to maintaining homeostasis (normal body temperature) of the
body.
3) Defending:
This refers to your immune system. The wei
qi will prevent invasion from external
pathogens as well as battle any invading factor.
4) Checking
and Controlling: Qi is a component of the
blood. It is the force that pushes the blood through the vessels. “When the
yin jing mai (blood
vessels) and the yang (Zhong) qi
combine, pulse beats are produced - the yang qi
creates a pump-like movement, forcing the blood through the jing mai.” Qi regulates blood circulation, sweating, urination and
seminal emissions.
5) Qi Hua: This
refers to the process of mutual transformation among essence, qi, body fluids and blood. It further refers to the
individual functions of qi in relation to
specific internal organs, such as the excretion of urine as part of the
normal function of the bladder qi.
If any of
these processes is interrupted, an imbalance occurs in the body and we have
an illness. Through acupuncture, we attempt to bring the body back into
balance so it can heal.
The
ancient Chinese thought of qi as the foundation
of the universe and believed that the movement and interaction of qi produced all things. They developed a system of
medicine that treated disharmony or imbalances of the patient’s qi. Herbal remedies, acupuncture, Tui
Na, Qi Gong and other martial arts work because qi is a dynamic, flowing essence of pure energy that
has substance when it needs to. By applying these techniques, practitioners
manipulate a person’s qi, causing it to flow in
the way it was intended to, thus creating harmony and balance.
Acupuncture
is a useful and very effective treatment modality for many people. It is a
way for some to reduce or avoid other more drastic medical interventions or
medications. Acupuncture is not appropriate for everyone. The best way to
determine if acupuncture is right for you is to contact a licensed
Acupuncturist and discuss your individual situation with them.
Yellowstone Naturopathic
Clinic
720 N. 30th St.
Billings, MT 59101
PHONE 406·259·5096/FAX 406·248·5655
ync@180com.net
Dispensary
406·254·9682
dispensary@yncnaturally.com
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