How Acu Works

SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OF
ACUPUNCTURE
Robert Doane, EAMP, L.Ac.
Owner, Acupuncture & Wellness Center, P.S.
Fellow, American Academy of Pain Management
Doane US / Doane Europe

Tel: (360) 394-4357 Fax: (360) 394-7972
Website: www.doane.us & www.doane.eu
Email: [email protected]
© 2013 Doane US/Doane EU, 18870 8th Ave NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370
Shall not be copied, duplicated or distributed in any form or to be used for teaching without prior written consent of Doane US and/or Doane EU.
HISTORY OF CHINESE MEDICINE
Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor‟s Internal Classic)
The oldest compilation of Chinese medical
knowledge, circa approx. 300 B.C.
Two volumes: Suwen & Lingshu (18 scrolls)
Covers anatomy, physiology, pathology,

diagnostic techniques, treatment modalities,
needle therapy and herbal medicine
HISTORY OF CHINESE MEDICINE
“Most of the basic ideas of physiology and
medicine are contained in this incredible
text; it provides surprisingly accurate and
detailed information on the human body,
with some of the ideas clearly equivalent to
those of modern Western physiology.”
Dr. Donald Kendall
Author, Dao of Chinese Medicine
MISTRANSLATION OF THE
HUANG DI NEI JING
& THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OF
ACUPUNCTURE
If you cannot confidently explain to your patients
how this medicine works, they will never truly
believe in the healing power of this medicine.
Do not sell yourself short and be known as the

“energy healer”.
CURRENT POPULAR MYTHOLOGY
REGARDING ACUPUNCTURE
Chinese medical colleges in the United States
teach that Qi means “energy”, and that this non-
physical energy circulates through non-physical
vessels in the body called “meridians”.
According to this theory, the explanation for

patient improvement via acupuncture is simply
chalked up to the theory that the patient‟s
“energy” is more balanced, thus he or she feels
better.
CURRENT POPULAR MYTHOLOGY
REGARDING ACUPUNCTURE
This concept has no historical basis.
This concept is not backed up by language

experts.
This concept does not withstand

intellectual scrutiny.
MISTRANSLATION OF HUANG DI NEI JING
• 3 Main Western Translators
• 1. Dr. Willem ten Rhijne (1683)
• 2. Georges Soulie de Morant (1939)
• 3. Ilza Veith (1949)
Translations by Dr. Rhijne & Ilza Veith were fairly

accurate.
The translation by de Morant was not, however,
his is the most common translation used in the
West regarding Chinese Medicine.
The main mistake made by de Morant was
his translation of the concept of “Qi” and the
concept of the vessel system.
The total number of possible uses of Qi in a medical
sense are: air, breath, vapor, steam, gas, weather,
manner, demeanor, temper, force, vital substance
(ying, wei, shenjing, and qi) and the function of
something
Georges Soulie de Morant translated Qi as “energy”
The vessel system or “Jing Mai”, elaborately described in
the Neijing, is a description of the major longitudinal blood
vessels in the body; three on each arm & leg, totaling 12 in
all.
The word “Jing” means longitudinal and the word “Mai”

means vessel. The ancient Chinese word for blood is “Xue”,
or “Xue Mai”, meaning blood vessel.
Georges Soulie de Morant translated these vessel systems

as “meridians”; non-physical channels in the body
conducting non-physical energy through them.
This error on the part of de Morant has done great
damage to the understanding of Chinese medicine in the
west.
Georges Soulie de Morant took a physical medicine

based on post mortem anatomy, just as Western medicine
does, and reduced it to a psychic medicine concerned
with the flow of energy through the body, rather then the
flow of blood, oxygen (Qi), and nutrients.
He realized in 1955 that it was blood vessels and not

meridians that supplied energy to the cells.
HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS
Chinese medicine:
Four aspects of a body that need to be
functioning well in order to be healthy
• Qi (Oxygen) delivery to the tissues

• Vascular System
• Organ System
• Nervous System
If there is an obstruction in the blood flow to
a particular area of the body, that area of the
body will be negatively affected, resulting in
disease or malfunction.
Any area of the body that is damaged due to

trauma or an internal disorder will have
difficulty recovering if there is a reduction in
blood flow to that area.
Chinese medicine:
#1 etiology of TCM: Blood Stasis
Vascular functioning decreases as we age
Body loses its ability to heal itself because

all the healing agents of the body are found
in the blood
Blood is not circulating sufficiently to the

affected area
Acupuncture helps increase your vascular

functioning
Major symptoms will disappear
ACUPUNCTURE
Pain Pathway
To feel pain, 2 nerves are involved
1. Sensory Pain Nerves (Nociceptors) – Tells the
brain there is pain: “ouch”
2 types
• A Delta Fibers: sharp, burning pains
• C Fibers: dull, throbbing pains
Sends signals to L5  Up the spine 

Tract of Lissauer  Midbrain (r.2)
ACUPUNCTURE
Pain Pathway
To feel pain, 2 nerves are involved
2. Proprioceptive Nerve Fibers
Tells the brain the location of the pain:
where the “ouch” is at
Fires continuously at the affected area
 Sends signals up the back of the
spine  Midbrain
ACUPUNCTURE
Pain Pathway
• Midbrain releases endorphins / enkephalins that bind
to pain receptors along the spine and the capillary
beds where the pain exists in order to reduce pain
Patients with chronic pain
• Proprioceptive neural threshold is too low
• Signal to midbrain is weak
• Patient cannot pinpoint the EXACT location of pain
• Midbrain does not release endorphins / enkephalins
ACUPUNCTURE/NEEDLE THERAPY
Minute tissue trauma activates blood coagulation
system to produce bradykinnin and plasmin
Bradykinnin triggers local pain sensory fibers and

corresponding proprioceptive nerves
Plasmin activates C3 triggering the immune

complement system to sustain vasodilatory phase by
histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and kinin
protease which sustains needling response
Inactivation phase breaks down histamine, releases

cortisol, promotes tissue healing
ACUPUNCTURE/NEEDLE THERAPY
Acupuncture creates a strong stimulation and
“re-boots” the proprioceptive nerve pathway
The sensation created by the needles „jumps‟ the
neural signal threshold and stimulates the brain to
release endorphins / enkephalins
After a few hours, the signal gets weak again

The next day, needle the patient and stimulate the
signal again
Keep needling and jumping the threshold until the body
REMEMBERS and RE-ESTABLISHES the normal threshold to
signal the brain
CHINESE MEDICINE AND THE
VESSEL SYSTEM
The ancient Chinese identified all the significant blood
vessels of the body.
Many of the blood vessels are named by the

anatomical region and associated internal organ they
serve.
12 pairs of matched longitudinal arteries and veins (six

pairs on each half of the body) comprise the organ
related main distribution vessels called Jingmai.
Kendall, Donald, “The Dao of Chinese Medicine”, P.144
TRADITIONAL ACUPUNCTURE POINTS AND
THEIR ASSOCIATED VESSELS
© Wikimedia.org
COLLATERAL VESSELS
The collateral branches of the Jingmai are
called Luomai. They supply tissues in the
superficial and deep areas of the body.
©The Dao of Chinese Medicine, Donald Kendall

FINE VESSELS
Collateral vessels divide further into fine
vessels called Sunmai. The Sunmai
comprise arterioles, capillaries, and
venules.
The sunmai communicate between the

outflowing arteries and the return flow
venous supply, thereby ensuring
continuous blood circulation.
Vessels along with associated nerves provide
the anatomical means of communication
between the internal and external body and
also the means of treatment modalities.
Because there are more veins than arteries, the

ancient Chinese identified five pairs of
superficial venous networks that are not
associated with the internal organs. These
veins, plus two deep major veins, are classified
as singular vessels (jinmai).
About 70 percent of blood is now known to be
in the slow-moving systemic veins, 11 to 12
percent are found in the fast-moving systemic
arteries, and 5 to 6 percent is contained in the
systemic capillaries. The remainder is in the
lungs (8 percent) and the heart (5 percent).
Kendall, p.144, Dao of Chinese Medicine
The organization of the body's vessel system in
terms of major longitudinal distribution and
collateral vessels comprises the “theory of the
jingluosunmai” in ancient Chinese. The
structure and function of the vascular system in
Chinese medical theory is identical to that in the
modern Western view, except the Chinese
place greater emphasis on branching vessels in
the superficial and deep body, and the
relationship of the vessels to each other.
The first substantial introduction of Chinese
medical theory in Europe was done by Dr.
Willem ten Rhijne in the late 1600”s. He was a
Dutch physician and his curiosity was aroused
by four Chinese diagrams he had acquired,
showing small spots on the human body,
arranged longitudinally along the surface. He
said this about the diagrams and what he had
learned about Chinese medicine while traveling
in Japan:
“The Chinese and Japanese structure of the
vessels is nonetheless netlike. You may
deduce the Chinese origin of the illustrations
from the fact they are not entirely in accord with
correct anatomy, an art the Chinese do not
value, except for the structure of the blood
vessels and the circulation of the blood.” He
was keenly aware that the Chinese were talking
about blood vessels and not imaginary
meridians.”
Donald Kendall, p.145, The Dao of Chinese Medicine
ACUPUNCTURE POINTS
In Chinese the word for an acupuncture point is

jie. Jie means a node or critical juncture. They
are a plexus of arterioles, venules, and nerve
tissue located above the main distribution
vessels of the body.
Clinically, nodal sites are important because

they are used to influence circulation and
induce restorative physiological reactions.
ACUPUNCTURE POINTS
Nodes on the arm and leg lie on lines that follow blood
vessels, lymphatic and neural pathways. On the trunk
of the body, nodes are organized in relation to
segmental innervation levels, where nerves and blood
vessels penetrate muscle fascia.
On the face and head they lie in proximity to cranial

nerves and upper cervical nerves, once again
alongside blood and lymphatic vessels.
There are approximately 670 of these nodal sites in the

body.
Kendall, p. 183, Dao of Chinese Medicine
The ancient Chinese discovered the vascular
system, with its blood flow flowing away from
the heart and then back to it via the lung where
the blood (xue) is re-oxygenated with Qi (vital
air) 2000 years before the Europeans did.
This remarkable feat, combined with a thorough

anatomical examination of the body and its
organs, has established Chinese Medicine as
the oldest, most sophisticated physical
medicine on earth.
The gifts to modern medicine by the
ancient Chinese are several:
The understanding that efficient

blood flow and the proper functioning
of the heart are essential for
longevity.
The quality of thought and emotion
are determined by the quality and
function of the organ system.
Highly oxygenated, highly nutritious
blood coursing through the body is
the key to good health.
The peripheral nervous system can
be stimulated to increase blood flow
throughout targeted areas in the
body.
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© 2013
2013Doane
DoaneUS/Doane
US/Doane EU,EU,
18870 8th Ave
18870 NE, NE,
8th Ave Poulsbo, WA 98370
Poulsbo, WA 98370
Shall not be copied, duplicated or distributed in any form or to
Shall not be copied, duplicated or distributed in any form or to be used
befor teaching
used without prior
for teaching written
without priorconsent
writtenofconsent
Doane US and/or Doane
of Doane EU. Doane EU.
US and/or
SPEAKER CONTACT INFORMATION
Robert Doane
Doane US / Doane EU
18870 8th Ave NE, Suite 108
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 394-4357
[email protected]

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SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OF

Doane US / Doane Europe

Two volumes: Suwen & Lingshu (18 scrolls)

Covers anatomy, physiology, pathology,

Do not sell yourself short and be known as the

According to this theory, the explanation for

This concept is not backed up by language

This concept does not withstand

Translations by Dr. Rhijne & Ilza Veith were fairly

Georges Soulie de Morant translated Qi as “energy”

The word “Jing” means longitudinal and the word “Mai”

Georges Soulie de Morant translated these vessel systems

Georges Soulie de Morant took a physical medicine

He realized in 1955 that it was blood vessels and not

• Qi (Oxygen) delivery to the tissues

Any area of the body that is damaged due to

Body loses its ability to heal itself because

Blood is not circulating sufficiently to the

Acupuncture helps increase your vascular

Sends signals to L5  Up the spine 

Bradykinnin triggers local pain sensory fibers and

Plasmin activates C3 triggering the immune

Inactivation phase breaks down histamine, releases

After a few hours, the signal gets weak again

Many of the blood vessels are named by the

12 pairs of matched longitudinal arteries and veins (six

©The Dao of Chinese Medicine, Donald Kendall

The sunmai communicate between the

Because there are more veins than arteries, the

Kendall, p.144, Dao of Chinese Medicine

In Chinese the word for an acupuncture point is

Clinically, nodal sites are important because

On the face and head they lie in proximity to cranial

There are approximately 670 of these nodal sites in the

This remarkable feat, combined with a thorough

The understanding that efficient

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