May/June 1984 RAIN Page 9 Pulse-taking in Chinese medicine FROM; The ]Neb That Has No Weaver When is Acupuncture Appropriate? Many pain-control centers have an acupuncturist on the staff, because acupuncture is an excellent therapy for relieving or curing painful conditions (except the intractable pain of malignancy, which neither modern Western nor traditional Chinese medicine can effectively control). Often, chronic conditions respond better to acupuncture, and acute conditions respond better to the antibiotics or surgery of Western medicine. Current research in China and the U.S. is attempting to determine which therapies work best for which conditions. The chronic/acute division is general; usually, each patient's history and condition determines the treatment. Since acupuncture makes no distinction between physical and psychological causes, it can also treat psychological conditions (addiction to smoking or drugs, for example). Statistical studies undertaken in clinical settings have revealed that on the average, 70% to 75% of the cases treated with acupuncture respond well. A short list of conditions that acupuncture treatments have cured or helped includes allergies, migraines, arthritis, sinusitis, lumbago, sciatica, gastric ulcer, angina pectoris, skin diseases, appendicitis, asthma, colitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, poor circulation, nervousness, general fatigue, hepatitis, anxiety, and depression. As in any ecological situation, the variables are so numerous in health and sickness that each case must be judged individually. Acupuncturists are certified or registered by state licensing boards, in most states. — TK Profile of Dr. Henry K. S. Wong by Nancy Cosper "The cause of all disease is congestion," Dr. Henry Wong tells me. "Actually I do not cure disease. I am simply like a body mechanic. I tune up your body. Let your body take care to adjust itself." I came to Dr. Wong with very little knowledge about acupuncture, and with a lot of Western ideas about disease. Six months, 20 treatments, and many questions later, I am beginning to understand a little of the philosophy and the intricacies of Chinese healing techniques. Whereas Western medicine starts with a specific symptom and looks for a specific underlying cause for the disease, Chinese medicine takes into account the symptoms and all other general characteristics as well as the natural environment of the patient. The Chinese physician looks for a "pattern of disharmony." Any one factor is another part of the whole, and thus the patient is treated for his or her pattern of symptoms, not for the cause of those symptoms. As Dr. Wong diagnoses me, he takes my pulses. (There are three pulse points on each wrist, and deep and superficial pulses at each point, in Chinese medicine.) He looks at my tongue and eyes, and he assesses my general aura. He sees hundreds of patients a year who come to him from all over the world; no two have exactly the same diagnosis. "Acupuncture releases the congestion in the body," Dr. Wong says, "then the body can heal itself." In traditional acupuncture the doctor inserts a series of needles into points on the body. Stimulation of the points via acupuncture needles can positively affect the organs of the body. 'Actually I do not cure disease. I am simply like a body mechanic. I tune up your body. Let your body take care to adjust itself/ Dr. Wong says. There are currently over 2000 acupuncture points in use. A physician usually chooses about 5 to 15 points associated with the patient's particular disharmony. Very fine needles are inserted from one-fourth inch to three inches deep, depending on the point. Dr. Wong leaves the needles in from a few seconds to several minutes. (In a more standard practice, the needles stay in for 10 to 20 minutes, or in rare cases, for an hour or two.) "I do not practice acupuncture in the traditional way," Dr. Wong tells me. His skilled fingers move along the meridians of my body, confirming his pulse diagnosis. Sensing any congestion he already felt when reading the pulse. Dr. Wong inserts a needle and most often
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