Say Qi!

One of the cornerstones of Chinese medicine is the concept of qi (pronounced "chee"). Due to its all-encompassing nature, it can be very difficult to understand, but here are the basics.

I’ll start with what I was taught by my wise ancient teachers: Qi is the essence that exists within everything. Everything has qi: plants, people, places, air, food … if something lacks qi, it lacks existence. Qi is what exists, but it is also the potential for existence.

Confused yet? Don’t worry, everyone is. It’s a tough concept to grasp. And it gets even more confusing for us acupuncturists, because we have all kinds of qi to deal with. For the sake of simplicity, however, let me put it this way: When you come into my office and I blabber on about “qi,” I am referring to the energy that is running through your body, keeping you alive and running.

Each person has rivers of energy that run in particular directions throughout the body. These rivers should be filled with smoothly flowing qi. If the qi is deficient, there are a whole host of problems that can crop up, most of which are in the category of “weakness.” It seems obvious that deficient qi can lead to fatigue, but it can also lead to pain that is dull, moves around, and feels better when pressure is applied. 

A lack of qi can affect pretty much any part of the body: Deficient stomach qi would lead to poor digestion or appetite; deficient bladder qi might lead to incontinence. Deficient large intestine qi? Constipation. Get the picture?

If the qi is in excess, it usually results in pain. This type of pain would be more severe than pain caused by deficiency. Excess qi in the head might lead to overthinking or obsession. It might also lead to headaches or vertigo. In most cases, an excess of qi is caused by stagnation. 

What is stagnation?  Well, remember, the qi in the body along pathways that are like rivers. Imagine for a second, though, that these pathways are more like hoses. If the water flows smoothly through the hose, all is well. If, however, a rock gets stuck in this hose, what happens? There will be a buildup of water on one end, and the hose may swell from the constriction. 

On the other end of this rock, the water will slow to a trickle. This is what happens in your body when there is stagnation, and in my experience, most people have it.  Stagnation is caused by a myriad of things: diet, stress, injury, overthinking, sitting. When you think about all the people in our society who are stress-balls sitting at desks for long periods of time, eating fast food to get through the day, it is really no wonder that most of us are “stuck.”  

Stagnation can really raise hell in your body. Headaches, tight neck and shoulders, digestive issues, constipation, depression, irritability, PMS … the list of maladies caused by stagnation goes on and on.

Up until now, I’ll bet you thought you were just a grouch by nature … but no, you’re simply stagnant. And I can help you. Once I get the qi and blood moving, you will start to notice changes in your health and mood. Let me tell you, I have treated some serious cranks in my time, and sometimes the change in affect and personality is nothing short of amazing. I’d love to know how many marriages I have saved with my needles.