What is Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a comprehensive approach to health and healing. While there are some issues that people come to us for more than others, there is no condition that we don't treat.

One of the great advantages to using TCM is that we group symptomology much differently than western medicine, so what is a strange case for an M.D. is often a textbook case for us.

Even after their condition is resolved many patients continue to see us regularly to maintain health. Prevention and early intervention are strengths of TCM.

How do we diagnose someone?

How We Understand the Body in Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine uses two main diagnostic systems: Yin–Yang and the Five Elements.

Yin and Yang describe the body’s opposing yet complementary forces — cooling and warming, stillness and movement, nourishment and activity. Like a car, Yin is the coolant and oil that keep the engine smooth; Yang is the spark and heat that make it go. Health means these forces are balanced. When Yin runs low, the system overheats; when Yang is weak, everything slows or stagnates.

From these principles arise Qi and Blood, the vital substances that circulate through every organ and tissue. Qi represents movement and transformation — how food becomes energy, how breath becomes vitality. Blood represents nourishment, moisture, and emotional grounding. They move and support each other, keeping body and mind in balance.

The second framework, the Five Elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — describes the dynamic relationships between the organs and emotions. For example, the Liver (Wood) governs flexibility and emotional flow, while the Lungs (Metal) govern boundaries and grief. Each element nourishes and regulates the others, so an imbalance in one can create symptoms in another. By observing your pulse, tongue, and symptoms, we can see where your system is out of harmony and design treatment to restore balance and vitality.

An analogy of the Five Elements: Your body as a country

The Country of Your Body

Imagine your body as a country. Each major organ system is a role in the leadership and maintenance of that country.

The Emperor (Heart) sits in the palace and envisions the nation’s identity, mission, and policies. Does your country lean inward, or reach outward? Does it prioritize wealth, compassion, exploration? The Emperor doesn’t personally carry out tasks; he holds the blueprint of who the country will be.
The Ministers (Pericardium) take the Emperor’s decrees and carry them out, while also reporting back on conditions in the kingdom. They are the intermediaries between vision and action.
The General (Liver / Wood element) is the executor. When the Emperor sets forth a goal—build, expand, innovate—it is the General who plans and mobilizes resources, sends soldiers, and fights necessary battles. These “battles” may relate to work projects, growth, emotional challenges, or personal goals.
The Farmer / Granary (Spleen / Earth element) produces and distributes the sustenance — the food, energy, nutrients the country’s people and systems rely on. The Farmer ensures that everyone (army, palace, citizens) gets nourished.
The Border Guards / Ambassadors (Lungs / Metal element) stand at the gates and in diplomatic posts. They control inflow and outflow—air, external influences, pathogen threats. They communicate between the internal and external worlds.
The Treasury / Foundation (Kidneys / Water element) holds the deepest reserves — the seed vaults, emergency funds, ancient endowments. In times of crisis, the country draws on this reserve. It supports the country over the long haul and anchors all other functions.

In normal times, this leadership team works in harmony:

The Farmer keeps producing enough supply so the General can act.
The General carries out the Emperor’s vision and defends or evolves the kingdom.
The Border Guards ensure external integrity and communication.
The Treasury quietly stores reserves and supports the others behind the scenes.

But stress or imbalance can tip the system:

If the Emperor or General demands too many resources, the Farmer gets exhausted. (This is Liver overacting on Spleen / Wood overacting Earth.)
The Farmer weakens; production falls; energy drains.
The General must draw from reserves (Kidneys) or border control (Lungs) to prop up the operations.
Over time, the reserve weakens, and the border guards may fall, leaving the country vulnerable to invasion, internal corruption, and collapse.
The Emperor’s vision becomes tenuous; the ministers scramble; the land grows unstable.

In such a system, you may see:

Digestive weakness, bloating, fatigue (Spleen symptoms)
Wood / General (Liver) signs: irritability, hormone imbalance, menstrual irregularities
Kidney depletion signs: low back weakness, reproductive issues, exhaustion, tinnitus
Lung symptoms: respiratory issues, susceptibility to colds, feeling “open” or blocked in expression
Heart / Shen signs: palpitations, insomnia, anxiety, poor spirit

In treatment, we aim to rebalance — restore the Farmer, reduce overextension by the General, reinforce the Treasury, and strengthen the Border Guards — so the Emperor’s vision can once again be carried out steadily and sustainably.

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine there are four primary avenues of treatment which are poetically referred to as the “Four Pillars”. Each of the pillars offers a unique approach to affecting health and can be thought of as a different type of leverage to be obtained on a patient's system in order to induce change.

The Four Pillars are:

Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Herbs and Nutrition

Physical Manipulation

Qi Gong

Acupuncture & Moxibustion

Acupuncture and moxibustion are time-honored therapies from Traditional Chinese Medicine that help the body return to balance. Acupuncture uses hair-thin needles to gently stimulate specific points along the body’s meridians, encouraging the smooth flow of qi—our vital energy—and activating the body’s natural healing response. Moxibustion, the warming of dried mugwort (moxa) near these same points, nourishes and strengthens the body, dispels cold, and supports circulation. Together, these methods promote deep relaxation, relieve pain, and enhance overall health and vitality.

What tools do you use to treat the system?

Chinese Herbal Medicine & Diet

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers one of the most sophisticated systems of herbal medicine in the world. For thousands of years, practitioners have studied and refined the effects of countless herbs and their combinations. Herbal formulas are designed to work gently yet effectively—stronger than food, but milder and safer than pharmaceuticals. Each prescription is customized to your unique constitution and current state of health. In Chinese medicine, food itself is the first medicine. Everyday ingredients and cooking methods are understood in terms of their energetic qualities—warming or cooling, nourishing or clearing—and can be adjusted to support balance and vitality. Dietary guidance is often part of treatment, empowering patients to take an active role in their healing.

Cupping & Physical Manipulation

Cupping and physical manipulation work directly with the body’s structure—realigning, releasing, and restoring balance in ways that acupuncture and herbs alone cannot. Cupping uses gentle suction to lift the skin and fascia, increasing circulation, easing tight muscles, and freeing areas of stagnation that restrict movement. Physical manipulation includes techniques such as tui na (therapeutic massage), assisted stretching, and other forms of bodywork to realign joints and soft tissue. These therapies help the body regain its natural symmetry and ease, allowing qi and blood to flow freely once more. At Eastgate, we also recognize the value of complementary approaches such as chiropractic care or physical therapy and often suggest them when appropriate. Together, these methods support the body’s natural capacity to heal, move freely, and feel at home within itself.

Qi Gong & Lifestyle Cultivation

The fourth pillar of Chinese medicine focuses on maintaining harmony through breath, movement, and daily habits. Qi gong refers to any practice that uses mindful breathing and intentional movement to influence one’s metabolism, circulation, and mental landscape. These practices regulate the nervous system, strengthen the body, and cultivate inner stillness—allowing qi to flow freely and efficiently throughout the system. In the same way, everyday choices around rest, emotional balance, and connection with nature play vital roles in sustaining health. True healing in Chinese medicine is not only about removing symptoms, but about cultivating awareness and living in rhythm with both the seasons and one’s own constitution. Through intentional breath and movement, we actively participate in our own healing and the ongoing refinement of body, mind, and spirit.

What do you treat?

People come to acupuncture for many reasons—sometimes for pain relief, sometimes for stress, sleep, or deeper balance—but the heart of every treatment is the same: helping the body find harmony so it can heal itself. The reach of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine extends far beyond any single list, supporting both physical and emotional health. Common concerns we treat include:

• Chronic pain and tension
• Women’s health and fertility support
• Headaches and migraines
• Stress, anxiety, and mood imbalance
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances
• Digestive and metabolic issues
• Allergies, asthma, and respiratory conditions
• Hormonal and menopausal changes
• Fatigue and low energy
• Immune support and seasonal wellness
• Musculoskeletal injuries and recovery
• Circulatory and neuropathic pain
• Side effects of cancer care
• Overall wellbeing, balance, and vitality