Classic Acupuncture vs TCM (Part 2)

Classic Acupuncture vs/ TCM:
Are Practitioners Technicians or Engineers?

In the first part of this article, we looked at the historical making of the rift and the role played by some French doctors and scholars in preserving the authentic tradition. Let us look now at the difference between the two practices when it comes to practitioner's ability to truly treat patients not as technician who applies ready-made recipes but as an engineer capable of designing its own protocol on a case by case basis.

The difference of approach translates as a difference in results

As explained above, TCM is based on a study of organ syndromes, while Classic Acupuncture emphasizes the Yin/Yang and Five Elements theories. TCM is limited to the study of organ pulses and infers treatments, which most often require the additional use of pharmacopoeia.

When it comes to diagnosis and treatment choices, TCM refers to the organs (Zhang Fu) whereas in Classic Acupuncture they only come as the last layer in the practitioner's approach. A Classic Acupuncturist will start by taking a global Yin/Yang view of the problem and may limit its action to that level to start with, should he find that the problem or problems find their source in an imbablance between the two. Should there be a quality (rather than quantity) issue in the Yin/Yang balance, the Classic Acupuncturist will then take the five elements into account as well as other factors such as the Three Heaters, the Four Energies, the Six Layers, and so on. The organs come last in that analysis and therefore are not as important in the diagnosis and treatment in Classic Acupuncture.

The acupuncture points themselves points remain the same. The difference in their use lies in the understanding of their role in the energy movement. In TCM the function of the points is based on syndromes, too often without understanding their global energetic function.

In that regard, comparing TCM to Classic Acupuncture amounts to comparing technique to science. The level of understanding is just not the same. This translates as poorer results compared to what a Classic Acupuncturist can achieve.

To use a simile that is easily understood by patients: acupuncture in its practice can be likened to computer programming. A technician is a person who mainly applies ready-made protocols (that's what a lot of TCM practitioners offer). An engineer is able to adapt and modulate his treatments according to individual circumstances whilst keeping a broad view of the issue (that's the approach of Classic Acupuncture).

To go further in this analogy, we could liken our bodies to computers, where signs and symptoms are the bugs seen on the screen. You can mask-tape part of the screen and ignore them (like pain-killers, anti-histamine, etc. which only act on the symptoms but do not treat the cause). The hard drive, the motherboard of human body are treated through surgery -it's not the job of the acupuncturist. Remains the keyboard, which allows us to remotely reprogram  and affect the software (the intelligence) of the machine. This is the work of the acupuncturist. However remains the question:  is the acupuncturist a technician or an engineer?

The use of Chinese remedies in question

Last but not least, Classic Acupuncture very rarely needs pharmacopoeia, whereas TCM heavily relies on it. As written in Chapter 1 of the Ling Tchrou/Ling Shu:
“The Emperor demands that his people be treated by Acupuncture and not by poisonous plants.”
That is to say, the pharmacopoeia is not to be used, solely needles. This is because at this time already, the Masters were aware of the dangers of wrong dosage or inappropriate use of these remedies.

All this is well known today in the field of Chinese Medicine, even though it's rarely acknowledged. Several books have been written on the subject. (2)

The difficulty of access to classical training (and a solution)

In any case, the difficulty in accessing authentic Classic Acupuncture training and the political support provided, to this day, by the People's Republic of China, helps maintain TCM as the most practiced method of acupuncture and the only one known to most, be they laypeople and practitioners.

There are only a few schools who hold and teach the authentic ancient knowledge. Only recently have digital technologies opened the gateway to providing the teaching to a worldwide audience, and this is what Classic Acupuncture Academy proposes to do. We rely on the teachings of the most knowledgeable masters of the twentieth century,  bearers of this ancestral knowledge transmitted for centuries in their families. Because we have had the privilege of being initiated ourselves, we are able to, in turn, transmit this precious tradition. We feel that the time has come for this knowledge to be shared more widely so it may never be lost again.





1- For a much more detailed historical account of the evolution of acupuncture, see Dr. Peter Eckman's book: In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor.

2- Chinese Medicine Masquerading as Yi, by Rhonda Chang