Acupuncture is an ancient healing art that is effective in treating disease, restoring health and promoting well-being of mind and body. With more than 2,500 years of history, acupuncture’s unique therapeutic potential is recognized today as being an important tool in treating modern ailments and diseases. Since the late 1970s the World Health Organization has actively promoted its study and use throughout the world. Acupuncture is now the therapy of choice for many individuals who seek a natural method that harnesses one’s innate ability to heal.

Acupuncture arose in ancient China, fashioned upon an energetic understanding of human life, health and illness. The ancients recognized that a vital energy pervades Nature, an energy that exists within all living things. They referred to this energy as Qi (pronounced chee – as in cheese). Within the human body Qi moves along channels or pathways along which small openings or acupoints are found, where the Qi can be easily influenced.

According to Chinese medical philosophy, health is the outcome of living in harmony with nature, society and one’s self. This allows one’s inner energy to flourish and flow in harmony. Disease arises when one looses one’s harmony, destabilizing one’s Qi and thus creating excess and deficiency along the channels where Qi flows. Acupuncture uses fine surgical stainless steel needles along the channels at the acupoints to restore balance.

The practice of acupuncture is no longer entirely based on the classical teachings. Modern science and biomedicine informs the practice of modern acupuncture and complements its theories. Moreover, technologies such as laser- and electro-acupuncture, disposable needles, and microsystems (such as ear acupuncture) are all now readily used. Modern scientific research has also verified the existence of Qi, its channel system, and the acupoints.

A Somatoenergetic Approach

Arnie Lade is a pioneer in the use of an integrative form of acupuncture that combines classical theory and techniques with a unique and modern approach. He calls this Somatoenergetic acupuncture. For example, in practice, Lade may use acupuncture to facilitate his hands-on Craniosacral and Visceral work. Or, again he may use a classical approach in applying acupuncture. Arnie Lade’s flexible and pragmatic acupuncture treatments are highly successful and a unique contribution to the profession.

Acupuncture is effective in treating a broad range of conditions, such as: hypertension, respiratory disease, insomnia, morning sickness, headaches, chronic back and neck stiffness and pain, shoulder and hip problems, carpal tunnel and other repetitive strain injuries, whiplash, traumatic injuries, chronic fatigue, PMS and menstrual irregularities, fibromyalgia, depression, sinusitis, TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome), post-surgical dysfunction, hearing and vision problems, post-natal recuperation, sciatica, digestive problems, kidney and bladder dysfunction, and more.

Acupuncture is not only effective in treating disease, but also in preventing it. For example, individuals with seasonal allergies often find that a short course of treatment prior to the time their allergies usually manifest will alleviate or eliminate the recurrence of the allergic response. But acupuncture is most effective when used to treat the whole self, not just dysfunctional parts or a particular disorder. Acupuncture does not give to or take away anything from the body; instead it acts upon the self to restore normal function and self-healing.