Shoestring Acupuncture

Whaat? I thought of this last evening in clinic when trying to explain to a patient why we were not putting needles in his back, neck or shoulders even though that was where the tension and discomfort was. Shoestrings are usually tied with that lovely butterfly knot. If you don't know how to use the knot you might try to untie it by wrestling directly with the ball of string at the center, or by working the loops loose one at a time. How slow and frustrating would that be? When you know how the knot works you pull the bitter ends and the knot comes right apart - so cool.  That is why acupuncture often utilizes distant points. For the back neck and shoulder tension and pain we used points on the head and ankle. Not only does this encompass the affected area, it also involves the Gall Bladder channel - the wood element partner of the Liver channel both of which correspond to tendons and tension. Correspondences and relationships are particularly important in traditional asian medicine, tying various strategies together strengthens the treatment.