Mary and I were talking about the magic of acupuncture. It feels like it is not something that I, as an acupuncturist, should be saying; that what I do is magic. I feel this way because it almost seems as though I am de-legitimizing the medicine. Magic is not science, magic is hocus pocus. But if we're to be fully honest, acupuncture is a black box effect. We don't really understand the science of when we put a needle in a very specific point how, from a western medical perspective, doe it actuate the change that we see - less pain, more energy, better focus, a sense of calmness... Magic seems to be a way of explaining how something works when we don't understand it yet.
My magic wand. Er, I mean, an acupuncture needle.
Here is how the magic looked today in my clinic. I have an older client who is very active and has been having trouble with his upper back, neck and shoulders. Like I said, he is active, so resting is not a strong suit. After checking his pulses, I asked him to move his neck and shoulder in a way that he would feel the discomfort, then rest. Then I touched an acupuncture point to see if when he moved in the same way again, if it felt the same, better or worse. It if felt better, I placed a needle at that point. Today it took us 4 needles for him to no longer have pain in his neck and upper back. Almost every time this happens, he responds, "I don't understand how it works, but it does."
From an East Asian medical point of view, I understand why the points I used relieved his pain, but I don't understand the exact science of how it works. So, sometimes it still feels like magic to both of us.
There really is a science to acupuncture. And it is based on the natural world. What we see going on around us in nature tells us so much about what could be going on inside our bodies. Yes, magic could mean placebo. However, I know that there is more to it than just placebo. If it were the case, then why do some points that I test with my client not work, when he doesn’t understand the reasoning behind my point selection? It if were just placebo, any points were work and it doesn’t. So really, acupuncture is science and an art. And sometimes a bit of magic for the moment, while we still don’t fully understand the science behind it.