1 was brought up in a straight chiropractic environment. My dad graduated from the Chiropractic Institute of New York in 1950. All I ever thought I needed for the rest of my life was chiropractic. In 1978 while a 9th trimester student at Logan College of Chiropractic, I met a man named Dr. Richard Yennie. He was the first to bring acupunc- ture to this country. After hearing him speak, I knew that acupuncture fit with chiropractic like a glove, and that I needed to learn this healing art to help my patients get well in over two thousand conditions. I knew that, by learning and knowing acupuncture, I would not be limited to the subluxation and could attract many more people, get them under CHIROPRACTIC and acupuncture care and be a pillar in non drug, non surgical care in my community. In as much as I hate to say this, three out of five patients come into my office because of the word "Acupuncture" on my sign, not "Chiropractic". My first seminar was in January of 1979. Dr, Richard Yennie was the seminar leader and speaker and there were over 200 people in the room. Everyone, from chiropractors to veterinarians, to medical doctors, to podiatrists, to nurses and massage therapists, etc... Dr. Yennie and the Acupuncture Society of America were the first acupuncture teaching institution in the United States, and regularly brought in teachers from Japan, China, Korea and Europe, as well as sponsoring tours to the orient. I never missed a class, nor an opportunity to visit Japan. It was a whole new educational beginning for me. Soon after, many chiropractic colleges began acupuncture research programs. In many aspects, chiropractic and acupuncture philosophy are very similar. Both deal with the free flowing energetical system. Chiropractic's philosophy deals with subluxation of the spine. Acupuncture deals with the blockage of energy in the channels called meridians. Both procedures attempt to bring the body back to homeostasis, and both emphasize the natural approach to healing. Neither uses drugs or surgery. Since the inception of chiropractic colleges, trigger point therapy has been taught, which focuses on specific acupuncture points on the skin. Even D.D. talked about acupuncture as being part of chiropractic, only B.J. removed it from his writings years later. Factually, chiropractors have always stimulated specific points on the skin to help bring biomechanical balance to the body in correcting the subluxation complex. Acupuncture implies the insertion of needles. However, there are many ways to treat an acupuncture point: needles, non piercing needles called "teishin", friction, percussion, finger pressure, ice, tapping, heat, moxibustion and many others. Meridian therapy would be a more appropriate name for this mode of care. Firstly, we need to understand that the human body has twelve main channels. These are named after the organs they connect to and treat: lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, circulation sex, triple warmer, gall bladder and liver. These channels operate under circadian rhythm or clock rhythm. The lung is active from 3-5 AM, the large intestine from 5-7 AM, the stomach from 7-9 AM, the spleen from 9-11 AM, the heart from 11 AM-1 PM, the small intestine from 1-3 PM, the bladder from 3-5 PM, the kidney from 5-7 PM, the circulation sex from 7-9 PM, the triple warmer from 9-11 PM, the gall bladder from 11 PM-1 AM and the liver from 1-3 AM. This, then, completes the clock cycle. The channels or meridians also affect the area that they pass over, as well as the organ involved. For each yin meridian, there is a yang counterpart. These are, then, called coupled meridians. Lung is yin, large intestine is yang; these are coupled meridians. Stomach is yang, spleen is yin; these are coupled meridians. Heart is yin, small intestine is yang; these are coupled meridians. Bladder is yang, kidney is yin; these are coupled meridians. Circulation sex is yin, triple warmer is yang; these are coupled meridians. Gall bladder is yang, liver is yin; these are coupled meridians. Notice that the energy clock (circadian rhythm) goes yin-yang, yang-yin; yin-yang, yang-yin; yin-yang, yang-yin. Additionally, there are two extra meridians or vessels, called conception vessel and governing vessel. Conception vessel is yin, while its coupled meridian, governing vessel, is yang. The meridians run from chest to hand, the hand to the head, the head to the foot, and the foot to the chest. This is a continual cycle of energy flow. Since the lung is active from 3-5 AM, when would you expect your sick child to wake up with coughing? That's right, 3-5 AM. We normally move our bowels from 5-7 AM. That is large intestine time. The best time to eat breakfast is between 7-9 AM or stomach time. From 9-11, the spleen begins digestion, separating solid and liquid material. The best time to exercise is heart time, which is active from 11-1 PM. Most of us need to urinate between 3-7 PM, because that is the bladder and kidney time. The best time for optimum sexual function is when the circulation sex meridian is active, which is 7-9 PM. The body, then, goes through the cleansing cycle between 9 PM and 3 AM, as this is gall bladder and liver time. Acupuncture is practiced on three different levels. Level one is for pain con- Continued on page 37... ...from page 32 CHIROPRA CTICAND A CUPUNCTURE A PERFECT MARRIAGE trol. In this method, one would palpate tender spots on the skin in the local area and treat them. This works approximately sixty percent of the time. The second level is by formula. In this method, one would look up a condition in a formula book such as, Acupuncture, a Comprehensive Index, by Ralph Alan Dale. This index has over two thousand conditions treatable through acupuncture. Incidentally, the World Health Organization recognizes many of these conditions as treatable with acupuncture. Level three, the highest level, involves pulse, tongue and facial diagnosis or electronic diagnosis at the Akabane points (located at the tip of the fingers and toes) or Ryodoraku points (located at the wrists and ankles). This is part one of a series of articles on how acupuncture relates to chiropractic. Dr. Zev J. Myerowitz has been certified in acupuncture since 1979. He has been a diplomate in acupuncture since 1983, and has taught extensively for Acupuncture Society of America since 1985. He runs a highly successful chiropractic and acupuncture practice in Holden, ME, and has taught for Parker seminars since 1980. If you would like more information on either the 100- or 200-hour certification seminars accredited through Texas Chiropractic College and Parker Chiropractic College, please contact Dr. Zev J. Myerowitz, 291 Main Road, Suite A, Holden, ME 04429; 207-989-0000 or Acupuncture Society of America @ 816-931-2127.*$
