Loren Stiteler, LAc

There is a lot of confusion about what acupuncture is and how it is supposed to work. Ideas ranging from placebo effect to the redirection of a quasi religious, intangible 'energy' are proposed. However, neither is correct Below is a photo of a patient of mine being treated for shoulder pain. Palpation revealed numerous binding sites along local muscle groups. The independent identification of the sites reproduced the traditionally described pathway of the second photo, th...e hand taiyang channel. More interestingly, this conforms quite nicely with modern trigger point maps. Acupuncture is not a belief. Nor is it magic. It is a physical medicine based in a physical reality. Therefore, it is capable of treating real, physical illness. #acupuncture #medicine #chinesemedicine #traditionalchinesemedicine #dryneedling #chronicpain #gaydoctor See more

The morning is my favorite time of day, and nothing is more satisfying than a beautiful cup of tea. Tea culture in China is as vast and driverse as wine culture is in Europe with countless varieties and flavors. Today, I'm drinking / pu'er tea stuffed into a /aged tangerine peel. Both the tea and the tangerine peel are reputed digestives, making them an excellent choice to drink after a large or heavy meal. Pu'er is particularly noteworthy for its capacity to emulsify f...at, and has been shown to reduce blood triglycerides and even LDL cholesterol. I guess 2,000 years of medical history accounts for something . ........... Chinese medicine: real medicine for real diseases.

The Physician's Code The Physician takes care of people's lives. To save Life is her/his sole aim, idea, purpose, and concern. One should not look down on the Physician as practicing the small path.... She/he is at the head of the hundred arts and crafts, sitting equal with the Premier and Minister. [Medicine] is the art of Humanity. Only integrated with no false character, tranquil and serene, can a person discuss medicine. Those who enter my gate should know that the distress of others is also mine. Always keep in your heart the saving of life. No delay should be allowed on a call from a patient. Do not ask if the patient is noble or poor. Do not cease reciting the medical texts; the hands continuously fiddling the hundreds of herbs. If the course of disease is baffling without sign of improvement, you must with trembling caution, wholeheartedly review your diagnosis and treatment. Do not be greedy for money. Do not cultivate fame. Do not boast of your knowledge and ability. Do not flatter the powerful and wealthy; you would rather have your arm broken than bend your back. Do not be jealous of the knowledge of others. Do not comment on the attitude of other physicians. Do not slander the physician who has cared for the patient previously. And, If you are visited by monks or Daoists who wish to pay you, accept not a cent. ~ Zhou Shan's Medical Teachings. 1933. (re-organized by Loren Stiteler LAc) #medicine #ethics #philosophy #acupuncture #traditionalchinesemedicine #tcm

(qì/ch'i) is a contentious subject within the Chinese medicine community. Often mistranslated as 'energy,' modern day academics often leave it in the Chinese due to the fact that no comparable concept exists in Western languages. The character, , is a pictograph depicting the image of steam rising off rice. And this, to some extent, helps us to understand the use of the term in clinical medicine. Qì is often used to refer to problems in which a gas is involved. Thes...e problems usually take two forms: 1. : qì bùzú: insufficient qì. 2. : qì zh: qì stagnation. The photo above depicts the use of acupuncture for the treatment of abdominal distention as a side effect of protracted constipation. In this this case, loss of sufficient moisture has resulted in the stools becoming hard and difficult to move. Because the stools aren't moving quickly enough, gas accumulates in the intestines causing a rotund, distended appearance, AKA qì stagnation. Herbs were prescribed to move water back into the colon to facilitate transit, and acupuncture was employed to stimulate peristalsis, the rhythmic movement of the intestines. Needles were inserted one by one in a counter clockwise fashion into the regions of the abdomen where gas was most concentrated. Manual stimulation was applied to each needle after it was inserted to produce a distinct, radiating sensation in the normal direction of peristalsis. This was maintained until substantial borborygmus (gurgling) began, and the patient reported contents moving in the abdomen. A critical analysis of Chinese medical literature and the clinical application of its theories reinforces my conviction that concepts such as qì should be investigated as physical phenomena before one projects foreign ideas onto them, or worse, pseudo religious ones. It's just physics, not magic. #acupuncture #tcm #Chinesemedicine #digestion #guthealth #microbiome #constipation #IBS #medicine

When you have a little time between patients