In Mandarin, “Happy New Year!”     |    Or in Cantonese, “Gung Hei Faat Choi!”

February 3, 2011 was the official start to the fifteen-days of celebration for the Chinese New Year – one of the most important holidays in Chinese tradition. Based on a lunar calendar,  the actual date of Chinese New Year changes every year (unlike the static January 1st date in the Western calendar).  This lunar month we move from the uproaring year of the Tiger to the year of the sophisticated Metal Rabbit. More on what’s in store for 2011 after the jump…

Rabbit Archetype

You are a Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac if you were born:

1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

Rabbit personality types are cautious and sensitive, while well-mannered and gracious with an heir of sophistication. Their attention to detail and organizational skills make them great researchers, politicians, decorators, purveyors of antiques, historians or scholars. They are sentimental and introspective, and do not thrive in competitive environments as they can easily be brought to tears by their extreme sensitivity to their environments. Rabbits make great partners in romance or other areas of life, but they depend on their solitude for survival. This time alone allows for the introspection they need to intuitively ground themselves and find strength.

According to Chinese Medicine

The rabbit sign corresponds to the color green and the element of wood in Chinese medicine, both of which can be attributed to the liver/gallbladder meridians. Liver constitutions take pride in being direct and fair, while gallbladder constitutions are excellent judges in weighing out all sides to a story. The wood element is known for its strength in flexibility, and direct nature to grow forward in life. The wood element corresponds to springtime, of which we are soon approaching…it is bound to be a season for strong intuitive abilities.

The Coming Year

2011 is predicted to be a much calmer year than the previous year of the Tiger – as Rabbit years bring peace and tranquility – a much needed respite from a tumultuous 2010. The Rabbit mends fences, keeps the peace and focuses on inner harmony. Diplomacy reigns this year, with forgiveness for old quarrels at the top of the list for success. Ideal pursuits in a Rabbit year include taking up a hobby, enjoying the arts, learning something new or exploring your creative nature. Financial and work-related successes will come through cooperation this year, not from force as it did with the Tiger. This year is all about taking things slow and steady – persistence will prevail.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

For your individual horoscope based on your zodiac sign, check out this informative post on Hub Pages:

Chinese 2011 Horoscopes

Leaving Your Analytical Mind at the Door

Although receiving a degree and license in traditional Chinese medicine means completing a rigorous four-year masters program, this ancient science is built on a foundation completely different from the one we grow up with in the Western world. Scientific algorithms and molecular biology will not serve to understand the complexities of something like acupuncture. The first step is leaving what we know to be true at the doorstep, in order to open up space for a second foundation to be built – one stemming from such eastern philosophies as Taoism and Confucianism. For this reason, acupuncture can be difficult to understand from a western medicine perspective. It is like trying to understand the flavor of an orange by eating at a pizzeria – an inappropriate model for comparison.

It has been said that acupuncture affects nerve communication, blood flow and conducts electrical impulses within the fascia muscle layer.  But, as I said, try and leave your analytical mind at the door. At the risk of sounding esoteric, acupuncture connects to the energetic pathways in the body known as meridians. These pathways are inherent in nature, and flow through every living thing (much like matter at its molecular level). They are typically unseen, and unfelt, yet ever alive and flowing with Qi – vitality.  Qi is what gives us life. Without it, there is no movement, no fullness and therefore no life. When Qi cannot flow smoothly, we feel it in the form of pain, illness or distress. Acupuncture directly manipulates the flow of Qi by way of the meridians of the body.

It’s All Connected

There are over 400 points on the human body throughout 12 different meridians, each with a specific function. Over the thousands of years that it took to develop Acupuncture, such functions were tested and agreed upon – having shown clinical efficacy based on experiential findings. Such findings were not based on disorders like “diabetes” or the ”flu,” because those labels were not yet invented at that time, but rather on individual pattern disharmony. Chinese medicine asks the question: “what does the person presenting with XYZ discomfort need?” not “what is the XYZ discomfort called so I can treat that.”  The latter form of question is more common within the Western medical model, which is in my opinion a strong case for the need to employ both models of care in public health for optimum results.

Back to the topic: how acupuncture works.  As I said, it is all connected. For example, if a person presents with knee pain it may be very beneficial to place needles at the knee joint to relieve it. However, needles placed on the elbow, low back or abdomen are also commonly used for strengthening the knee and depend on individual pattern differentiation. Likewise, several points around the knee are great for digestive problems, and often those points will be needled on individuals with no inherent knee pain at all. To understand how the energetic pathways run is to go to school for a very long time. To make sense of it otherwise, is to accept that there is plenty happening in life that we cannot see – not all that dissimilar from Western molecular biology.

The Web Around Us

Take cellular phones and the Internet. There are direct, real, pathways of communication between carrier towers and individual devices that are always open and able to travel at instantaneous speeds. We walk around among and through these pathways all day long - without knowledge of their existence except through the end result: our web browser working or receipt of a text message. When this system is slightly out of whack, the connection is lost and our devices malfunction. The pathways need to be re-opened and cleared so that proper functioning can occur. Imagine that the meridians in your body are the pathways and the commander keeping them open is the Qi. It is the job of an acupuncturist to open up such communication within the body, so there are no glitches.

Different People, Different Treatment

Unlike the technical support team looking for the predictable piece to fix an Internet malfunction, the human body is far  less predictable. The acupuncturist must look deep at individual constitutional patterns to develop proper and effective treatment. This takes time, a detailed history, and oftentimes ongoing treatment. Acupuncture works well alongside western medical treatments as it can offer great relief for side effects (as in Chemo Therapy) and without adverse reactions. It is also very beneficial for health maintenance (much like exercise), boosting the immune system, and can be used on a seasonal basis as preventative medicine once uncomfortable symptoms have resolved. Many people find that acupuncture is very relaxing, promoting an almost meditative state, an added bonus. 

To find out more how acupuncture can help you maintain or acheive your wellness goals, please contact me.