This ancient healing method addresses illness by working with the energy currents of the body called meridians. Diagnosis of the condition is made in part by checking the pulse and the tongue for the strength of the organs and their respective meridians.
Acupuncture and shiatsu differ in their methods of treatment. The acupuncturist may use needles, thinner than a human hair, which penetrate the skin along the meridian at key points. Shiatsu works with pressure in a similar fashion to acupuncture but without needles. Some therapists combine both modalities and if the practitioner is a doctor of chinese medicine, will likely incorporate other balancing techniques in their treatment and may prescribe herbs for home use.
An interesting teaching from the meridian theory is our daily time clock. Throughout the day, each organ has its period of activity energetically. There is a time to rest, a time to eat and a time to do work. In our culture we tend to overwork ourselves, ignoring the natural rhythms of our body and so energetically we become weak. The rise in disease is in part a reflection of the lifestyle we lead as a society.
So is it the lifestyle which leads or the energetic imbalance which leads to disease? Perhaps if we saw an acupuncturist weekly we would have no ill health but there is something to be said about changing the lifestyle we lead so to prevent the energetic imbalance from developing.