Acupuncture.

Happy V-Day! I started my day by baking some Little Love Bites. Anybody else devouring lots of chocolate today? :D

In one week's time, I will start writing/preforming my Winter semester midterm examinations. I say preforming because this time I have two practical/hands-on exams. (I must admit that I am nervous for these exams; I got quite comfortable last semester with writing multiple choice Scantron exams!).

My first exam is my Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practical exam (I have to locate (but not needle) eight randomly drawn points on my partner, give their contraindictations (i.e. any health warnings associated with them), and give their actions). I have spent the month of January learning the fundamentals behind acupuncture. To explain briefly , TCM believes that energy flows through the body in distinct patterns. These energy patterns, known as channels, correspond to a specific organs, such as Heart, Spleen, and Large Intestine (to name a few). Note: these are TCM organs and not those of Western Medicine. Each organ is associated with various physiological processes, other body parts, emotions, and even illnesses. When someone is experiencing too much of an emotion, is feeling pain in a certain body part, or has an illness, acupuncture needles are inserted along the energy channel associated with the organ that is most related to the condition the person is suffering from. Confused yet? :P

Here is an example: as the Heart is associated with all mental processes, if someone is suffering from "brain fog", needles can be inserted into points 4, 6, and 8 along the Heart channel, as these points can help Clear the Mind.

As I learn more about acupuncture, I will try to better explain the theory. In the meantime, please trust me when I say it is both fascinating and an effective method of healing!