What Is Acupuncture?
Schedule TodayUnderstanding Foundational Principles Of Acupuncture
As aspiring practitioners in Adam’s training programs, you are immersing yourselves in a time-honored system of healing grounded in traditional East Asian medicine. Acupuncture represents a comprehensive, natural framework—rooted in thousands of years of practice across Asia—that seeks to preserve health, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. In this context, you will deepen your understanding of both the theoretical foundations and practical modalities of this profound discipline.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is rooted in Asian medicine, also referred to as traditional Chinese or East Asian medicine. It is a comprehensive natural healthcare system that has been developed and refined over thousands of years across Asia to preserve health, to diagnose, to treat, and to prevent illness. Acupuncture treats health conditions by stimulating specific acupuncture points located on the body’s surface to produce physiological effects. Acupuncturists may activate these points through several methods, most commonly including insertion of very thin sterile needles through the skin, application of heat, or use of finger pressure and massage techniques.
According to the general theory in acupuncture, proper physiological function and overall health depend on the circulation of an energy known as Qi (pronounced “chee”) through a network of channels or meridians. This network connects every organ and part of the body, providing balance, regulation, and coordination of physiological processes. It influences the movement of blood and body fluids and also reflects nervous system function. Pain and ill health are understood to arise when Qi flow is disrupted or blocked. Contributing factors may include disease, inherited tendencies, pathogens, trauma, medications, toxins, emotional stress, overwork, poor nutrition, or lack of rest.
Stimulating the appropriate acupuncture points aims to restore a continuous, sufficient, and even flow of Qi and essential nutrients throughout the body. This helps in restoring balance, relieving symptoms, and improving health. Diagnosis in acupuncture is sophisticated and holistic, assessing the pattern of disharmony rather than focusing on isolated symptoms. The purpose is to not only alleviate symptoms but to address the root causes of dysfunction, enhance functional capacity, and ultimately improve quality of life.
Acupuncture is a relatively recent addition to California’s primary healthcare professions and continues to be integrated into mainstream medicine. Since its introduction in the United States in the 1970s, more than 20 million Americans have experienced acupuncture or Asian medicine. The potential benefits are significant while the risk of side effects remains very low . From a scientific standpoint, acupuncture has demonstrated analgesic properties and can enhance overall systemic health by stimulating the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Traditional Chinese medicine also emphasizes the enhancement of Qi and blood circulation, as well as the influence of acupuncture on internal organ systems.
What Conditions Can Acupuncture Treat?
From Adam Atman’s perspective, acupuncture and Asian medicine may have the potential to treat any disorder, disease, or illness. While practitioners are encouraged to remain realistic and not view acupuncture as a universal cure, the system has evolved over 2,000 years, informed by wise sages, healers, yogis, and medical geniuses. This gives it broad therapeutic applicability, well beyond merely managing pain.
Scientific research tends to focus on musculoskeletal conditions due to limitations in funding and approval processes, but this does not define the full therapeutic scope of acupuncture. According to the Acupuncture Board of California, acupuncture may be effective for a wide variety of conditions including, but not limited to:
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Allergies, asthma, anxiety, depression, arthritis or joint problems
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Back pain, bladder and kidney issues, constipation, diarrhea
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Colds, influenza, cough, bronchitis, dizziness, addiction
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Fatigue, gastrointestinal and gynecological disorders, headaches, migraines
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Heart palpitations, high blood pressure, immune deficiencies, knee pain
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Menopausal discomfort, musculoskeletal injuries, PMS, paralysis, numbness
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Rhinitis, sciatica, sexual dysfunction, chemotherapy side effects, sinusitis
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Skin issues, stress, tension, stroke rehabilitation, tendonitis
Effectiveness often depends on the severity and characteristics of each condition. As a practitioner, you are trained to also recognize when issues warrant referral to other healthcare specialists.
Scientific Research and Clinical Evidence
Acupuncture’s clinical value has been endorsed by major institutions. In November 1997, a panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that there is sufficient evidence supporting acupuncture’s therapeutic value to warrant integrating it into conventional medicine and encouraging further study of its mechanisms and clinical utility.
Conditions supported by the NIH include:
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Post‑operative and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
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Post‑operative dental and general pain
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Addiction
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Stroke rehabilitation
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Carpal tunnel syndrome
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Osteoarthritis
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Headache, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, menstrual cramps, and asthma.
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a comprehensive review of controlled clinical trials, confirming acupuncture’s efficacy for:
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Low back, neck, and knee pain
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Sciatica, tennis elbow, periarthritis of the shoulder, sprains
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Facial pain, dental pain, TMJ dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis
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Inducing labor, correcting breech presentation, easing morning sickness and nausea
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Postoperative pain, stroke recovery, essential hypertension, hypotension
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Renal colic, leukopenia, adverse effects of radiation or chemotherapy
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Allergic rhinitis, biliary colic, depression (including post-stroke), dysmenorrhea, epigastralgia, peptic ulcer, and gastritis.
Importantly, acupuncture is noted for having far fewer adverse effects compared to many conventional drugs and procedures
Begin Your Journey with Adam Atman’s Sacred Acupuncture Training
Are you an acupuncturist or East Asian medicine practitioner yearning to move beyond technique and step into a richer, more integrative healing journey? Training with Adam Atman means joining a sacred, multi-dimensional path where you learn to weave together acupuncture, Qigong, guided meditation, clinical demonstration, and hands‑on practice into a seamless, spiritually informed clinical approach. These Sacred Acupuncture Seminars are crafted to cultivate your ability to work with Qi, the Shen, and the energetic and spiritual layers of healing—empowering you with clinical skills, Qi‑cultivation practices, and a profound connection to the deeper realms of Chinese medicine. With over four decades of experience in acupuncture, herbal medicine, medical Qigong, and Asian bodywork, Adam’s teaching is grounded in both traditional wisdom and modern clinical insight. This is an invitation to expand your healing capacity, deepen your clinical confidence, and awaken your role as a healer who listens not only to bodies but to energies, spirits, and the greater tapestry of life. Let me know if you’d like details on upcoming seminar dates, locations, or enrollment options!