Dr. Don Glassey | OfSpirit

Life energy, in the form of cerebrospinal fluid, flows within, through and around the body over three inter-related and interconnected energy systems that interface with each other. The three energy systems are, from a gross to a subtler and more refined level, the nervous, the meridian, and the chakra systems.

In the nervous system, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows within and around the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) within a three layered “saran wrap” like covering called the meninges. It has been suggested that CSF also flows in the periphery of the body within the neuroglial connective tissue transportation system and communication network. Therefore, rather than ending at a cavity-like cul-de-sac at the place where the peripheral nerves exit the spinal cord (intervertebral foramen), the CSF would then circulate throughout the entire body.

In the meridian system, acupuncturists physically trace the life energy (chi/ki) by palpation as it flows within the connective tissue of the body. Radioisotope studies in Russia and China have confirmed the pathways in which (chi/ki) circulates. The framework of the connective tissue is composed of microscopic tubules called collagen fibrils. It has also been suggested that CSF may flow through this microcirculatory system in the connective tissue via the tubular passages (lumina) of collagen fibrils, and that theoretically “chi” and CSF are one and the same.
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healingarts | May 3, 2005 |

John Herlihy | OfSpirit

A personal encounter with the mysterious cures of acupuncture that for thousands of years has successfully addressed the perennial ailments and promoted the health and well being of countless people the world over.

Utter the word acupuncture in polite company and images of oversized needles and Chinese doctors searching for a crucial nerve may come to mind. At best, people may think of acupuncture as a medical cure effective for others, but not for themselves. At worst, the instinctive horror of needles, like the terror of the dentist’s drill, puts people off any thought of approaching this alternative source of medicine without a second thought. In the medically advanced Western societies, many people even consider this ancient traditional wisdom to be a raw and radical new alternative to the progressive, techno-based Western approach to medicine. Perhaps the time has finally arrived to demystify the aura of uncertainty that still surrounds the modern-day practice of acupuncture.
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healingarts | April 28, 2005 |

Dr. Farah Khan | OfSpirit

Many women have resigned themselves to the monthly emotional and physical roller coaster that their menstrual period brings. Psychological symptoms include weepiness, moodswings, irritability, anger, and depression. Physical symptoms can include bloating, cramping, backaches, breast tenderness, food cravings, headaches, acne, and digestive problems.

Oriental medicine has developed treatment for the many complaints of pre-menstrual syndrome over the past two thousand years. Treatment and prevention involve the use of acupuncture and herbs along with nutritional and lifestyle counseling.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are based on the theory that life energy, called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”), flows through channels or meridians in the body. When a person is under mental, emotional, or physical stress, the energy, which normally flows freely through the body, begins to stagnate.
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healingarts | April 27, 2005 |