most acupuncture taught today is missing the channels where chronic disease lives.

In Chinese Medicine, chronic means anything that didn’t start on the day of the treatment, therefore,
when we treat patients with what we were taught in acupuncture school, we are more likely to manage
symptoms than we are to help people truly heal.

Acupuncture is widely considered for managing symptoms and supporting western medical treatments
yet rarely considered a solution for serious diseases. This is because of the colonization of the medicine
in the 1900’s, which eliminated the channels critical for treating chronic disease.

This is why we hear things like:

• “I tried acupuncture, and it didn’t work for me”

• “Acupuncture helped but only when I kept going to appointments”

• “I feel confident treating one specific thing but not all things”

• “I don’t know how to handle ‘complex’ cases”

It’s easy to hear these things and think that they’re limits of acupuncture, when in reality,
they’re limits of the version that is taught in acupuncture schools.

complex cases in acupuncture are a myth

“Complex” is a convenient way of referring to what happens when we practice the colonized version of Chinese Medicine acupuncture, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

I frequently see people that have been told they have a diagnosis that’s incurable or otherwise something for which there isn’t any treatment. But interestingly, after working together, they no longer have the symptoms that got them that diagnosis, and patients don’t have to keep coming to appointments forever, because the complete channel system allows us to work where the problem actually is.

what acupuncturists learn in school is limited

Acupuncture schools don’t teach the complete channel system; they teach modern acupuncture called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which can be helpful in some situations but does not have access to the areas where chronic disease lives.

Common acupuncture textbooks tell us that a sinew channel only has one point, but it says nothing about the theory or practical application of these channels. Divergent channels also get a quick mention, while eight extraordinary treatments are taught as master-couple points, along with other supporting points, and there’s virtually no mention of how to use the luos as channels.

tcm acupuncture vs the complete channel system

Think of the complete system of acupuncture like an operating system where all the parts have an important job.

In the case of acupuncture channels, we have the primary channels & the complement channels. The primary channels connect with the organs, have familiar biological names, and run the 24/7 function of the body. When there is a threat that is continuous or too severe for the primary channels to handle, the complement channels step in to move the threat to other levels of the body in order to protect the primary channels.

The complement channels are sometimes called secondary vessels, which is a misnomer. By design, the primary channels can't reach where the threat has been stored, so treating the primary channels for a complement channel problem gives you limited results. For chronic and degenerative disease, the complement channels are where the treatment needs to happen.

a part is not the same as the whole

Modern acupuncture (TCM) is often thought of as complementary medicine, an adjunct therapy, or a drug-free way to manage symptoms. But the complete system is a whole approach to healing on its own, not just a small part, and acupuncturists who start using it in their clinics see major differences in their patients right away.

If you've struggled to understand how all your patients’ symptoms fit together or to do more than manage their symptoms, that says nothing about your skill or your intentions. It reflects what school taught us. Acupuncture schools worldwide are not teaching this information, and discussion of these channels gets referred to as a “style” or preference versus what they are—the very essence of Chinese Medicine acupuncture.

where to start with complete system acupuncture

The luo channels are a great way to begin learning the complement channels, which is why I created The Bloodletting Lab, my six-week online course starting November 3. Registration closes October 23rd.

looking for acupuncture as a patient?

If you've tried acupuncture before without lasting results, that doesn't mean acupuncture doesn't work for you. There were probably just missing parts. I treat 1:1 with the complete channel system in the Root Reset, my six week acupuncture and Chinese medicine program.