Why the Lotus Seminars?

"This seminar was the best I have been to, to date. Dr. Tan is very knowledgeable and effectively teaches the material.”   P.P.

“Dr. Tan's class was amazing - now I understand why my friends & colleagues rave about him and the "Tan Balance System". I had seen his technique in action with one of his students, M.B., who can't say enough about him, and at my school clinic, but to meet him and see for myself - wow, he is a genius! Can't wait for the next seminar!”  D.S.

INTRODUCTION TO ACUPUNCTURE 1, 2, 3

By Richard Tan, L.Ac., O.M.D.

THE ACUPUNCTURE WAY

Most acupuncturists practicing today received the majority of their education in zang fu diagnosis. For this reason, common diagnoses include Liver qi stagnation, Spleen qi vacuity, blood deficiency, etc. These diagnoses prove most useful for herbal treatments. However, Meridian Theory has historically been used as the diagnostic tool for acupuncture treatments.

After years of studying with traditional masters and consulting historic texts, I firmly stand by the ancient system. Meridian diagnosis and treatment is the most effective acupuncture method, and therefore this is the only method I use in my practice. I have successfully treated thousands of patients in this way.

Step 1: Identify the Sick Meridian

Identifying the affected meridian is the most important step in obtaining precise and accurate results. To achieve this we still rely on the four traditional diagnostic methods: wang (inspection), wen (auscultation/olfaction), wen (inquiry), qie (palpation).

In the clinic, ask the patient to use one finger to point to the painful area. Using one finger allows the practitioner to pinpoint the exact location of discomfort and make an accurate diagnosis. People use many different words to describe pain including: sharp, dull, hollow, distended, burning, numb, radiating, itching, throbbing, tingling, cold or just plain uncomfortable. The pain may be located directly on a meridian, between meridians, or may cover two or more meridians. When a patient can show the practitioner an exact location, diagnosing the affected meridian(s) becomes easy. In any case, this first step is crucial. If the affected meridian diagnosis is incorrect, there will be little or no result.

For example, if a patient has a headache, it is important to find out exactly where the pain is located. If it is a frontal headache, the meridians crossing the forehead need to be identified. If it is a parietal headache, the meridians on the side of the head need to be identified. It is all about location. Correctly diagnosing the affect meridian will determine a successful treatment outcome.

For herbal practitioners, it is important to make a zang fu diagnosis such as Liver yang rising or wind-heat invasion. This determines which herbs are appropriate for the condition. An incorrect diagnosis could do more harm than good. But, when treating with Acupuncture 1,2,3, it is not necessary to take into consideration the “label” of a zang fu diagnosis. For a successful outcome, the acupuncturist’s focus should be on the location of the discomfort. An affected meridian may indicate solely a physical pain, or it may be an indication of an internal issue. Either way, pain determines imbalance. By treating the affected meridian, the practitioner brings balance to the body, reduces pain, and restores health, both internally and externally.

Step 2: Finding a Balancing Meridian Based on the Five Systems

After the sick meridian(s) is/are diagnosed, the next step is to decide which meridians to needle using the Balance Method. One or more of the following systems can be utilized to create balance and reduce pain.

System 1: Chinese Meridian Name-Sharing System
System 2: Bie-Jing/Branching Meridian System
System 3: Biao-Li/Interior-Exterior Pair System
System 4: Chinese Clock Opposite System
System 5: Chinese Clock Neighbor System

These five systems achieve a dynamic balance by utilizing the different relationships existing between meridians. Relationships among the twelve meridians include attributes such as organ specifications, yin or yang quality, anatomical location, Chinese clock positions, and hand or foot associations.

Step 3: Point Treatment

After selecting the meridians for treatment, the next step is to determine the points to needle along these meridians. After thirty years of research, experimentation and practice, I have organized many strategies to help with points selection. The Mirroring Format and Imaging Format are two of the simplest and most effective methods, and are therefore used most commonly in my practice.

The “Mirror” is a mapping between one limb to another limb. The Mirroring Format is designed to specify the area of the limb that will balance the problem. This method is derived from the body’s remarkable ability to reflect tenderness, weakness or tightness in a distal area, which correlates to the sick meridian(s). For example, the arm mirrors the leg, therefore the shoulder mirrors the hip, upper arm mirrors the upper leg, elbow mirrors the knee, forearm mirrors the lower leg, wrist mirrors the ankle, and foot mirrors the hand.

An “Imaging” is a relationship between a limb and the whole body. In other words, different parts of a limb represent different parts of the body. For instance, the hand images the head, the wrist images the neck, the forearm images the chest, the elbow crease images the navel, the upper arm images the lower abdomen and the shoulder images the groin.

Point selection for treatment will require the combination of step 2 and step 3. See case study below.

CASE STUDY

A patient comes into your clinic with lower abdominal pain on the left side. The first step would be to determine the sick meridian. Next would be to find the balancing meridians. The last step would be to determine the point treatment. For this case study, let's pretend the abdominal pain is along the Kidney meridian.

Step 1: Identify the Sick Meridian

Kidney meridian on the left side.

Step 2: Finding a Balancing Meridian Based on the Five Systems

System 1: Heart
System 2: San Jiao
System 3: Bladder
System 4: Large Intestine
System 5: Pericardium

Step 3: Point Treatment (notice that all the points listed below are on the limbs and image the lower abdomen)

System 1: Ashi points from Shaohai (HT 3) to Lingdao (HT 4) on the right side
System 2: Ashi points from Sanyangluo (TH 8) to Tianjing (TH 10) on either side
System 3: Ashi points from Weizhong (BL 40) to Chengshan (BL 57) on the right side
System 4: Ashi points from Xialian (LI 8) to Quchi (LI 11) on either side
System 5: Ashi points from Quze (PC 3) to Ximen (PC 4) on the right side

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Tan, O.M.D., L.Ac.

Dr. Richard Tan is a leading authority in acupuncture, herbs, feng shui and qi cultivation. His skills represent the culmination of years of study in the disciplines of Zang-Fu, Five Element and Channel Theory. Dr. Tan authored Twelve and Twelve in Acupuncture, Twenty-Four More in Acupuncture and Dr. Tan’s Strategy of Twelve Magical Points and Acupuncture 1,2,3.

This article was taken out of Dr. Tan’s book Acupuncture 1,2,3. To order a copy, click here.

To learn more about Dr. Tan’s Balance Method, he is speaking on the following topic for Lotus Institute. This class is approved for 8 CEUs/PDAs by the California Acupuncture Board and NCCAOM.

CLASS BY THE AUTHOR

Master Tung’s Points Dr. Tan’s Applications

• 6/21/08 Los Angeles, CA
• 8/23/08 Portland, OR

		Click here to sign up for our free eLotus updates. Articles will be emailed to you monthly to enrich your practice.
		Other Articles Available for Download Auricular Acupuncture • Acupuncture • Disorders • Herbs/Herb Drug Interaction/Pharmacological Effects of Herbs • Pulse Diagnosis • Practice Management / Legal Aspects • Others
		Lotus Online Forum Post a question, get an answer; Interact with your colleagues!
		Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine PO Box 92493 City of Industry, CA 91715 www.eLotus.org  info@elotus.org

Copyright © 2008 Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine. All Rights Reserved.