“Li Gan Jian Ying” means, stand pole, see shadow. In other words, if you’re doing it right, you should see results immediately. This idiom is one of the founding principles of Balance System Acupuncture, an evolution of Balance Method Acupuncture, taught and disseminated in the west by the late Dr. Richard Tan. This method is rooted in the original texts of Chinese Medicine, dating roughly 2000 years ago. During a recent doctoral weekend, I had the opportunity to complete Level 1 and 2 training in Balance System Acupuncture under the direction of Dr. Sonia Tan, one of Dr. Richard Tan’s original 16 master level students. 

Why is this method cool? Balance System Acupuncture is used to balance the entire body, any organ or system, for example, digestive system balancing or hormone balancing. But, balance system acupuncture is probably best known for treating acute pain. It can be so effective at pain relief that during our first treatment, my goal is to reduce a patient’s pain by 50%, on the table.  

How is this possible? Magic? Not really. Mostly, it’s logic! A brilliant system based on a motif from the I Ching called the bagua. The bagua consists of eight trigrams arranged octagonally around a symbol of yin and yang. This motif is used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, aka, the laws of the natural world. The creators of the Balance System developed rules of treatment based on these natural laws. Because well, we humans are made of the same elements as everything else in the natural world, therefore, the laws of the natural world apply to us too.  

Let’s look at an example case. I recently treated a patient with upper back pain that we determined was radiating from one of his cervical vertebrae. Because the problem was coming from his spine, I chose to needle his scalp, which in our system is a microsystem of the entire spine. I located the injured vertebrae’s mirrored location on the scalp and placed 2-3 needles at the most tender points in this area. With the needles in place, the patient reported immediate reduction in his upper back pain. He said it was less sharp and even moving slightly. We then needled a few other points on his arms and legs, which corresponded to the other acupuncture channels that ran through the injured area. At the end of his treatment, he felt even better and the following week, he reported that his pain was gone. 

How exactly does this work? Think of it like using a light switch on a wall to turn on a light across the room. Acupuncture channels work the same way. We can treat a particular area of the body by needling points located along its circuit, or channel, as long as we follow the rules of our system. The beauty is in the natural logic and it really is amazing. If you have pain or a general imbalance, come into Elemental Wellness and give it a try!