Classical True Acupuncture
The Classical True Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine clinic is conveniently located in South Denver, Colorado (Centennial), minutes from Aurora, Castle Rock, Cherry Hills Village, DTC, Denver Tech Center, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Parker, Colorado.
Finding the right Acupuncturist for you
Do you find choosing a health care practitioner, especially one in the alternative medicine field, a daunting task? It is understandably frustrating to figure out what the qualifying credentials are for all the different types of practitioners (acupuncturists, herbalists, energy healers, etc) out there, and how do you know if it even works?
Believe it or not, we have jumped through these same hurdles. Like yourself, we have had to look for health care practitioners, licensed acupuncturists, chiropractors, and many others. We’ve been through our fair share of trial and error and understand how frustrating it can be to find a health care professional worth investing your time and money into. And yes, we have been to those health care practitioners who care only about the money. You know the ones we mean, where you go in for a visit and the next thing you know, there are $200 worth of products sitting in front of you, telling you that you must take it to get better, or they’re pushing you into thousands of dollars worth of treatments before you’ve even had a single treatment from them. This isn’t the way to approach health care! You deserve to make a choice without pressure, without being made to feel guilty, and without having to feel as though you will not get better unless you buy a six month package of 3 treatments per week. No! Any practitioner who is good at what they do does not need to use such methods!
This is why we offer a free initial consultation. We want you to call or come in without pressure nor any strings attached. This way, you can be absolutely certain that you are comfortable with your licensed acupuncturist and that you fully understand how and why we do things the way we do. This is very important to us. We want you to be as informed as you wish, and although this web site can only give you a small picture of what we do and what we are about, we hope that you will take advantage of it and read enough to make yourself comfortable with our level of expertise. Then come in, sit down, and have a talk with us to find out how best we can help your current situation.
True vs Sham Acupuncture
If you Google “True Acupuncture,” you will no doubt find responses for “sham acupuncture vs. true acupuncture,” however, this is not the acupuncture that we speak of, but rather a lower level of acupuncture. George Soulie de Morant first described True Acupuncture (direct translation of his french terminology: “le vrai acupuncture”) in his book, Chinese Acupuncture, when he described the three different levels:
“There are many kinds of acupuncture. One is simplistic and primitive. It consists of puncturing the place of pain without considering any other knowledge. Except for conditions of recent, acute pain, such treatment gives only partial, short-term relief.
Another method, somewhat better, uses points in memorized formulae. Problems are treated with little attention given to the patient or the action of the needles; i.e., in order to tonify or disperse such and such an organ, such and such a point is used; for this particular symptom, that particular point is used. This method allows moderate regulation of the organs, but does not treat the underlying cause of the problem, nor control the vital energy.
The truest form of acupuncture, which we describe here, enables the practitioner to evaluate imbalances of the vital energy, which is the basis of all functional illness. This is achieved, above all, through the study of the pulses. True acupuncture is founded on the relationship between the organs, based on the circulation of energy, a system which often differs from the Western anatomical physiological model. The method demands that we locate the exact center of each point, where its action is at a maximum. Although there are failures, these are rare. . .”
From Morant’s statement we learn that there are clearly three “levels” of acupuncture, although he did not speak directly on the subject of different styles. Morant also clearly states in his text that a practitioner may utilize the first two levels of acupuncture, but only when necessary and usually only after applying True Acupuncture first.
“The first method, which could be called local acupuncture or even primitive acupuncture, is rather simplistic and consists of puncturing the center of the pain indicated by the patient. It is used by people who do not know the location of the points, their effects, the pulses, or the circulation of energy. It does not require any study. This method is used for pains, swellings, or local inflammation, without taking into consideration that in Chinese medicine pain is recognized as a sign of dysfunction of a neighboring meridian or of the associated organ. True acupuncture occasionally uses this method after treating the root problem to remove what is called ‘the branch,’ the symptom. Even without using this method, the branch disappears some time after the underlying problem is resolved by true acupuncture.”
This is a very important consideration. It is unfortunate that in our current era, the first two levels are solely practiced with few practitioners performing True Acupuncture. This may be due to the fact the the Chinese have traditionally kept their secrets close. Morant even noted that the Chinese had never put into writing True Acupuncture theory:
“To fight off disease successfully by manipulating the energy of the body, one must fully understand the differences between the three methods grouped under the name of acupuncture. The Chinese cite only two, but in reality there are three.”
Although the Chinese did not explicitly describe True Acupuncture in written text, it was known by masters of acupuncture and the basic ideas are presented in the “classical texts” of Chinese Medicine. Fortunately for us, Morant studied under such masters and passed along a profound understanding of acupuncture. Unfortunately, in the West, few have picked up this understanding and most rely on the first two levels; many relying only on the first level.
It is the study and practice of True Acupuncture that the practitioners listed on this website adhere to. Owing to our studies and research into this form, we have come to know the true benefits that this level of acupuncture offers over other levels or styles.
Why call it Classical Acupuncture?
We have chosen to use the term “Classical” as a prefix for the simple reason that this level is truly the ancient understanding of this profound art. Although other styles may appropriately claim the term “Classical,” because they are literally based on the classical texts of Chinese Medicine, we believe that True Acupuncture contains the deeper understanding that is required to practice at this higher level.
Please read more throughout our site by choosing links in the index to the right. We hope you enjoy your time here, and if you have any questions, please contact us.
A different style of Acupuncture
The practice of Classical True Acupuncture is considerably different than the practice of other levels and styles of acupuncture. For instance, we focus largely on pulse diagnosis of the radial pulses—pulse diagnosis that takes into account all the body’s systems, and their inter-related dependencies, while not only focusing on the mere quality of the pulse or just the symptoms. Therefore, you will note that Classical True Acupuncture practitioners will spend considerable time feeling the radial pulses before inserting any needles, as well as after insertion of each and every needle. Furthermore, when possible they will continue to feel the pulse while locating and needling the center of a true acupuncture point. This is done because we are concerned with needling the absolute center of an acupuncture point (an area 1 to 2 mm in diameter), for missing the center of the point by as much as 2 mm can reduce or nullify the effects of the treatment.
Without such detailed focus on the pulses and point location, Classical True Acupuncture can never be accomplished. Finally, you will note that we needle very few acupuncture points, typically only one to a few points during a treatment, and in rare cases or in conditions that require the application of the first two levels of acupuncture, more needles may be utilized — the first two levels of acupuncture always utilize many needles.
Lastly, Classical True Acupuncture does not require the considerable number of treatments that other levels and styles require. With Classical True Acupuncture, a practitioner may often reschedule you for a follow up visit simply to reevaluate how well the treatment is going and not for actual treatment (at no charge to you). The theory is that if your body is responding to the treatment well, inserting more needles will only disrupt the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Only when the effects of the treatment begin to diminish should you be needled again; this may be a week to several weeks from your last needling and possibly only one treatment is needed in acute and simple conditions.
If you have previously been told that you are required to have multiple treatments per week and for an extended period of time to see results, give us a chance to prove that this is not true.
How can it help you?
This level of acupuncture was used by George Soulie de Morant as a primary care modality and he achieved as good results, if not better than Western Medicine, especially in those cases where Western Medicine had only symptomatic treatments or no treatment solutions at all. This is not a form of acupuncture that treats only pain. It treats the individual and their constitution, thus it has a wide range of benefit for the patient.
Most importantly, this level of acupuncture restores proper functions to the organs, bowels, and other systems of the body. By restoring the proper functions of these systems, general health is improved on a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, it provides great benefit as a preventative medicine. With the detailed examination of the radial pulses, a practitioner of Classical True Acupuncture can find disharmonies long before they develop into serious pathologies and are not mislead by symptomatology that masks the root underlying condition. Thus, it is wise to have checkups with a Classical True Acupuncturist just as you would have a physical exam with a Western MD.
Classical True Acupuncture provides a natural holistic tool to take control of your health. It works on the underlying imbalances that facilitate pathology, thus it has a wide range of use beyond what current “leaders of medicine” believe. If you have a specific concern, please call a practitioner to discuss your case and how they may help. If we cannot help you, we will do all we can to help find the best practitioner for your situation.
Choosing a Licensed Acupuncturist
Finding a good health care practitioner can be a daunting task. Most of us rely on word of mouth, but what if you don’t know anyone who knows a qualified Licensed Acupuncturist? Should you go see the chiropractor in the strip mall with 100 hours of training in acupuncture? Or the MD with 0 hours of training? Or a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) licensed acupuncturist? Or someone who has studied a different style such as, 5-Element, Worsley, Tan, Master Tong, Japanese meridian, or Toyohari acupunture?
Confused?
We certainly were during our training! How do you know what’s worth your time and money? After all, a relationship with a quality Licensed Acupuncturist is one that you want to last because they get to know your deeper constitutional energetic relationships more and more as time goes on, thus you benefit with their increased understanding of your unique nature. But do most acupuncturists do this, licensed or otherwise? Well, there are ways to tell.
A Licensed Acupuncturist who practices at the highest levels will show the following traits:
- Significant time spent diagnosing the radial pulses,
- Re-evaluation of the radial pulse after insertion of each needle,
- Careful localization of each acupuncture point needled,
- Minimal number of needles used,
- Treatments are, at minimum, at least one week apart,
- Results increase with time following the treatment, instead of decreasing, and
- Local needles (at the area of pain) are utilized as last resort, if at all.
The following are signs to help you recognize when your acupuncturist is not providing the best care:
- The same acupuncture points are needled at every treatment,
- Minimal time is spent on diagnosing the radial pulses,
- Only the “quality” of the radial pulses are felt (wiry, slippery, etc.),
- Many needles are used,
- Needles are “slapped” in quickly,
- The radial pulses are not checked frequently, or at all, during treatment,
- Often local needles are used first or primarily,
- Benefits decrease after initial treatment.
The above are some basic guidelines to go by. Most importantly, are you getting benefit from the relationship and is your health improving? If so, you have someone worth investing your time and money into. If not, seek someone who can provide you with improved health.
We promise to provide you with the highest quality care that we can, and if we are unable to provide you significant benefit, we will help you find a practitioner who may be able to help you.
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Get directions to the clinic
Click on your city below to get directions to the Classical True Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine clinic located in South Denver Colorado (Centennial - general map): Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Greenwood Village, Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, DTC Denver Tech Center, Aurora, and Denver, CO.
Classical True Acupuncture Category
What follows are all post and articles in the Classical True Acupuncture category. At the very bottom of this page is a list of links to each post, if you would like a quick view of links. Please browse the articles as you wish and thank you for visiting acupuncture-n-herbs.com!
