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Foreword
In today’s society, life is high paced and stressful. This negatively affects everyone’s personal health. Many people are at a sub-health state constantly. As the standard of living improves, people are focusing more and more on health, especially, staying healthy through natural means.
In the past, people only saw doctors when they were sick, and often suffered the side effects of medication and the pain and risks of surgical procedures. Today, people are more focused on improving their health and achieving the optimal level of health. They are also seeking more natural means of treating disease and discomforts. Natural or green treatments include treatments that are effective yet without any negative side effect. Examples of such treatment are nutritionist treatments, and physiotherapeutic treatments including sound, light, electric, heat or magnetic treatments.
The use of low to medium frequency electronic pulses to treat discomfort is a very mature technology. It can improve the blood circulation, help the absorption of swelling and other inflammatory substances, relieve muscle spasms and eliminate conglutination, so that it’s quite effective in reducing inflammation and eliminating pain. And also it can recover the nerve function, exercise the muscles, regulate the nervous system and improve the immune system, and so on.
The collaboration of traditional Chinese medicinal theories and low to medium frequency electronic pulse technology lends a great leap to the effectiveness of this type of treatment through its imitation of real massage and acupuncture techniques and the careful selection and organization of acupuncture points and treatment areas.
The iHealth series are based on the success mentioned above; it incorporates the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine and the technological advances of today’s society and has the features of being safe, effective, economical and convenient. To fulfill the different needs of the consumer, products in this series have different outlooks and functions yet are all easy to use, widely applicable, and extremely effective.
Embedded within the iHealth series is four thousand years of Chinese medical culture and history. This general booklet of instructions provides a brief background of traditional Chinese medicinal practices and describes in detail the selection of acupuncture points and their applications. It aims to focus on health at home, preserving the good life, and treating common discomforts. This booklet provides general instructions that are widely applicable for the purposes of recognizing and treating everyday ailments.
The reading of this booklet will enhance your knowledge of the machinery and theories you’re employing, thereby allowing you to enjoy the ultimate comfort and amazing effects of these products. It is also an excellent introduction to Chinese medicine and Chinese culture.
I Health presents this booklet to you as a gift; we hope you remain happy and healthy, always.
Chapter 1 Chinese Medicine
1. The Long History
China is one of the oldest civilizations in recording and has a glorious history of 5000 years. The practice of Chinese medicine also has a long and glorious history. Long ago, the people of China have developed the traditional practices of Chinese medicine in order to survive against nature’s harshest obstacles. Theories in Chinese medicine come from the analysis and constant advancements based on experience and practice.
As early as more than 2000 years ago, China’s oldest recorded collection of Chinese traditional medicinal theories was published. 1300 years ago in 659 C.E., the Tang government published its own book on Chinese medicinal herbs. This was the first government issued Chinese pharmacopoeia, and also the first national pharmacopoeia in the world. In 713 C.E., the Japanese government collected this book as part of the curriculum when training to practice medicine in Japan.
Over the past 2000 years, practitioners of medicine in all dynasties have advanced and completed many theories and books on Chinese medicine. In the past century, as Western medicine populated through the oriental, there is now a balance and interconnection between Chinese and Western medicine. They both have their strengths and the combination of both has been extremely beneficial to mankind as a whole. Chinese medicine is a very important component of Chinese culture. Over the millennia, it has been proven to be enormously effective, rich with culture, unique in its methodologies, organized in its theories and broad in its history. Chinese medicine is a giant in the field of medicine and is a common treasure to the world. Chinese medicine still thrives after centuries and along with modern medicine creates the unique and advantageous qualities that Chinese medicine possesses.
2. Basic Concepts
1) Yin and Yang
Yin and yang are opposing concepts in early Chinese philosophy. Ancient thinkers saw everything as having two opposing sides and used the concept of yin and yang to explain opposing forces and powers in worldly phenomena. This concept was applied to medicine to explain the different structures, physiologies, and diseases of the human body.
2) The Five Elements
The five elements refer to the five elements which are believed to be found in all things existent. These are: metal, wood, water, fire and soil. This study’s main application in the medicines is using its qualities to explain the movements and changes of the human body under normal and diseased conditions.
3) Organs and Presentation
This is a unique methodology of study in Chinese medicine. It utilizes similar terms as Western medicine but refer to entirely different things. This branch emphasises on collective changes in a system rather than changes in its specific parts.
4) Jing-Luo
In Chinese medicine, Jing-Luo is a unique network within the human body. It is different from any one of the networks described in Western medicine (such as the nervous system, circulation system, lymphatic system, etc). Almost all of the acupuncture points which are utilized in Chinese medicine are located within this system.
5) Chi, Blood and Fluids
Chi is understood as the most essential and basic component of human life. You can say that it is the extraordinary air moving through the body.
Blood is self explanatory. It is vital to life, well-being, and nutrition to the body.
Fluids are the collective name for all bodily fluids. Just like blood, it is a vital part of the body.
3. Basic Features
Chinese medicine is a unique branch of medicinal practice and has two basic features. One is its thought of the body as a totality, and the other is its ability to diagnose according to symptoms only.
1) The Body as a Totality
The body is a totality and functions on a whole
Man is imminent to and one with nature
2) Diagnosis through Observation
Diagnosis within the Chinese medicinal practice uses only four methods (look, listen, ask and touch). With deep analysis, it is observed that similar diseases present different symptoms at different stages and different diseases sometimes present the similar symptoms at similar stages. As such, Chinese medicine sometimes uses the same methods to treat different diseases and different methods to treat similar diseases.
4) Jing-Luo
In Chinese medicine, Jing-Luo is a unique network within the human body. It is different from any one of the networks described in Western medicine (such as the nervous system, circulation system, lymphatic system, etc). Almost all of the acupuncture points which are utilized in Chinese medicine are located within this system.
5) Chi, Blood and Fluids
Chi is understood as the most essential and basic component of human life. You can say that it is the extraordinary air moving through the body.
Blood is self explanatory. It is vital to life, well-being, and nutrition to the body.
Fluids are the collective name for all bodily fluids. Just like blood, it is a vital part of the body.
3. Basic Features
Chinese medicine is a unique branch of medicinal practice and has two basic features. One is its thought of the body as a totality, and the other is its ability to diagnose according to symptoms only.
1) The Body as a Totality
The body is a totality and functions on a whole
Man is imminent to and one with nature
2) Diagnosis through Observation
Diagnosis within the Chinese medicinal practice uses only four methods (look, listen, ask and touch). With deep analysis, it is observed that similar diseases present different symptoms at different stages and different diseases sometimes present the similar symptoms at similar stages. As such, Chinese medicine sometimes uses the same methods to treat different diseases and different methods to treat similar diseases.
4. The Principles of Treatment
1) Treating the Cause
2) “In with the good, out with the bad”
Chinese medicine sees illness as a battle between the opposing forces of good and bad. It parallels the idea of immune system versus bacteria and viruses that is described in Western medicine.
3) Adjusting Yin & Yang
The cause of illness comes from a tip in the balance of yin and yang, there is too much of one or the other. For this, re-establishing that balance between yin and yang is a basic principle in treating illnesses.
4) Adjusting Organ Functions
The body is a totality and every organ is interdependent upon each other. They interact and influence the health of each other. Thus, the proper monitoring and adjustment of the interrelationship between the body’s organs will produce good results. 5) Adjusting Chi and Blood
Chi and blood are both essential parts that move throughout the body, they both have their functions and aid each other in the body. Adjusting chi and blood to constantly keep them at an optimal level is a key to reviving good health.
6) Differential Treatments According to Circumstances
The cause of illness is affected by many factors, a change of climate, geography, especially the personal make up of the patient are all important factors. For this reason, one must consider all of these contingencies when treating a patient. The careful analysis and distinction between these conditions will yield the best treatments.
5. Basic Differences between Chinese and Western Medicine
Western medicine is based on the concepts of physics, biology, and dissection. It operates on the principles of controlling and suppressing germs and viruses in the body through mainly the use of drugs.
After the 1930s, the development of sulphanilamide, Penicillin and the like improved the control of infections. Then, western medicine developed subsurgery, in-vitro fertilizations, gene recombination and even cloning; all of which demonstrating that Western medicine has become mainstream in this century.
Chinese medicine sees man as a part of nature; it has its unique methodologies in diagnosis and treatment. It takes into account not only the physiological conditions of the human body, but its environments, conditions and interactions with the world. This concept is in accordance to the newly published definition of health presented by the World Health Organization.
At the same time, it should be noted that it is because Chinese medicine sees the relational properties of the body that it loses emphasis on the study of the body itself, and thus cannot establish a more scientific system to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In recent centuries, Chinese medicine has been misunderstood, misused and often ignored. The differences between Chinese and Western concepts regarding medicine are what mainly attribute to this status.
However, material, psychological and environmental states change, the nature of human disease has changed at the core. People are starting to feel the limitations of modern medicine, and this gives rise for an opportunity where Chinese medicine can thrive again in the 21st century.
6. What Is Massage?
The subtle technique of massage has a long history of more than 5000 years. It is one of the oldest and earliest methods of treatment and health improvement. In the Tang dynasty, positions of massage therapists and massage doctors were already assigned in palaces to treat the Emperor and his family.
Massage treatment is rooted within the concept of Jing-Luo.
Massage therapy is fit to use for seniors, adults, kids and women alike, it has very little side affects, is widely applicable and can be used as a personal health maintenance tool. However, this kind of therapy is highly demanding for the practitioner. A massage therapist must be able to apply massage techniques fluidly in accordance with profound knowledge of the human bone structure, vascular system, muscles in the Western tradition but also the Jing-Luo and acupuncture points of the Chinese tradition.
Massage works in three ways on the human body.
The first way is by way of mechanics. Applying pressure to the body can improve the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids, decrease the conglutination of tissue, and eliminate muscle spasms.
The second way is through biology. Here massage is performed on the surface of the body and triggers changes within the nerve endings of the body and increases biological activity of the enzymes and the metabolic system.
Lastly, massage works through the unique concepts of Jing-Luo and acupuncture points.
7. What Is Acupuncture?
Following the growing popularity of Chinese medicine, the ancient practice of acupuncture is starting to gain recognition all over the world. After several millennia of practice, acupuncture has been proven to be fitting for many diseases, highly effective, simple to operate, economical and safe. Some insurance companies offer health coverage that includes acupuncture. This is because this method has been proven to be so effective that some patients are able to avoid complex surgical procedures to treat their ailments and save large amounts of money.
Acupuncture is also rooted within the concept of Jing-Luo.
Acupuncture divides into two kinds of treatments: needle point and heat. Needle point punctures the skin at certain acupuncture points in order to treat illness. Heat treatment is performed through the subtle effect of burning a wick-like material and radiating that heat at certain points on the body. These two are often used together for optimal results.
Acupuncture is widely applicable; the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises as many as 47 kinds of diseases that are treatable through acupuncture. Of course, these diseases are also treatable through the use of home electronic physiotherapeutic devices.
8. What are Acupuncture Points?
Home electronic physiotherapeutic devices use the methods and techniques of acupuncture and massage to achieve the goal of treatment and maintaining health, this has to do with the knowledge of acupuncture points. Consumers can apply devices to where discomfort arises, but with the knowledge of acupuncture points, can use the techniques and maps offered in this book to achieve professional results at home. Here we offer some basic knowledge regarding acupuncture points.
In the beginning, acupuncture techniques were applied to only areas of pain. At that time, there were no absolute acupuncture points and no names of any kind. As people gained more insightful knowledge of acupuncture points, their features and treatment options, acupuncture points became explicitly defined, named, and then systematically categorized.
There are three types of acupuncture points.
1) The first type is called Jing-Luo points and these are located within the network of Jing-Luo. There are 361 different names and 670 specific points.
2) The second type is outside of Jing-Luo, they are called “wild”.
3) The third type is “ah” points. These have no particular names, positions or main treatment affects, they are merely the surrounding areas of pain, where the senses are most sensitive. When touched, the patient usually experiences sharp pain and thus says “ah”, thus these acupuncture points are called “ah” points.
Basic Theories of Low to Medium Frequency Electronic Physiotherapeutic Devices
Low and medium frequency home physiotherapeutic devices operate using low to medium frequency electronic pulses.
This chapter will outline the techniques which these devices use in order to treat various discomforts.
1. Basic Theory
Electrical currents between 0-1000Hz is considered low frequency, between 1000-100000Hz is considered medium frequency. When applied to medicine, they form low and medium frequency electronic pulse treatment methods. This method has been used since the 1930s and today is very mature and effective, and some physiotherapeutic and rehabilitative devices have been developed.
Under the influence of low or medium frequency electronic pulses, differently charged ions in the body move and create physiological and chemical reactions in the system. This is the basis for the use of this technology on the human body.
2. Low Frequency Electronic Pulse Treatment Techniques
This method is fairly strong and is primarily used on the trunk of the body. It aids in the rehabilitation of limbs, relieves pain in the body, relaxes muscles, eliminates fatigue, decreases fat storage, and so on.
3. Medium Frequency Electronic Pulses
This method is mild in force and is suitable for the head, face and neck areas. It relieves pain and fatigue in the areas mentioned above and also treats insomnia. By imitating the brainwaves of deep sleep and emitting these to the head, the device is able to induce sleep within the user. With long term and regular use, this is able to correct disrupted sleep patterns in the neural pathways and eliminate the problem of insomnia from the root.
Chapter 3 The Five Functions of a Home Electronic Physiotherapeutic Device
Home electronic physiotherapy devices combine the advantages of low and medium frequency electronic pulse techniques, along with the concepts of Jing-Luo, massage and acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine to form its unique system of treatment.
These products usually have the following functions:
1. Eliminates Fatigue
When working in a certain position for a prolonged period of time, relative muscle groups start to tense and lose oxygen. This is what causes the body to be sore and painful. Continued conditions of this kind cause aseptic inflammation. Longer periods of time will cause a series of symptoms and conditions, and can result in serious health risks.
The development of the PC and the internet only adds to this problem because it causes people to sit for a long time. According to the newest data collected by WHO, people who sit often are 11 times more likely to get sick than the normal person. WHO asserts that every year more than 2 million people die of sitting related and caused disease. It also predicts that in the year 2010, 70% of disease will have been caused by sitting.
Home electronic physiotherapeutic devices can help muscles to contract in an organised pattern; they increase nutrition distribution to surrounding areas, improve flexibility and reduce the viscosity of muscle. These devices also increase blood and lymphatic circulation, speed the absorption of inflammatory substances, and thus relax muscles and eliminate fatigue.
The many techniques of these devices imitate those of massage experts in the Chinese medicinal tradition. Any one of these can be chosen to fit any body part. Through imitated massage, they improve circulation, increase metabolic activity, relax tightened muscles, all it takes is 10 minutes to regain a perfectly relaxed body. What’s more is that all this can be done while working.
2. Fast Pain Relief
Pain is the most prominent symptom of many diseases, it is the reason most people seek medical attention in the first place.
In medicine, there are three general methods for reducing and eliminating pain.
1) The first is to use drugs. This includes anesthetics that are used in surgery, or just general analgesics.
2) The second is through surgical procedures, such as severing nerve tissues or shutting down certain spots in the central nervous system.
3) The last one is to use surface stimulation. Examples of this are the traditional practices of Chinese massage and acupuncture, and more recently, the practical applications of low to medium frequency electronic pulse devices.
Pain relief through the use of narcotics is the most common, but it has many negative side effects, and worries of allergies, overdose, and addiction. Surgical procedures use extreme measures and its application is limited. The most important features of using the last method are its safety, convenience and effectiveness; it does not damage surrounding areas and cannot cause disruption in the system.
Home electronic physiotherapeutic devices bridge the gap and enable the everyday person to relieve pain using three methods.
1) The first is through traditional needle point theories, that is to say, directly stimulating the nerve endings to achieve pain relief.
2) The second comes from the practical use of stimulation to the peripheral nervous system to achieve pain relief; it uses electric pulses rather than needle point, and achieves a similar effect. This method is effective because it activates pain adjustment in the brain, block neuro-paths for pain signals to increase pain thresholds.
3) The third method is rooted in the principle of relieving pain using massage. It increases circulation, increases metabolic activity and helps the absorption of inflammatory substances, relaxes muscles and eliminates spasms so as to create comfort and eliminate pain.
The mechanism this method uses to relieve pain is summarized in the following four areas.
1. Improving Micro-circulation
Poor micro-circulation is usually caused by three things. One is reduced movement in body parts that have suffered external and sudden injuries; the second has to do with poor joint functioning, such as patients suffering from a stroke; the third comes from continually working in a certain body position. All these causes can cause the muscles to loosen, degenerate, and even develop unwanted bone growth.
This mechanism works through the purposeful contraction of muscles to produce heat, enlarge capillary vessels and increase nutritional distribution. It also improves flexibility, decreases the viscosity of muscles, increases blood and lymphatic circulation, and improves the absorption of inflammatory substances.
2. Pain relief through Diminishing Inflammation
When the body sustains injuries, the affected area usually suffers from aseptic infection, causing the area to experience pain.
This mechanism works because: it re-establishes blood circulation in the affected area, activates tissue repair; and induces the absorption of blood clots, swelling and inflammatory substances so that it eliminates aseptic infections. Also, an adequate amount of stimulation can increase the pain threshold of the area.
3. Eliminating Conglutination
After sustaining an injury, if treatment is not prompt or not complete, after blood clots and swelling have absorbed in the affected areas, soft tissue can develop conglutination, fibroplasia and scarring, causing chronic pain and or loss of proper function.
This mechanism is that it relieves pain and improves the functions and movements of joints through the relative movement of surrounding muscle groups and the elimination of conglutination.
4. Eliminating Muscle Spasm
Damage to the human body causes pain, through nervous reflex, the body takes a defensive action. The muscle contracts, tenses, even spasms, causing the surrounding area to have poor blood circulation, creating more pain. Thus, eliminating muscle spasm is the key to treating pain in the neck, shoulder, waist, and legs.
Massage is the most effective way of eliminating muscle spasm and relaxing tight muscles. The device uses electronic pulses to imitate real massage techniques, directly relaxing the muscles.
This mechanism works by increasing the temperature in the affected area, thus improving blood circulation and lymphatic circulation, therefore stretching tight or tense muscles, to relax them and relieve pain.
Home electronic physiotherapeutic devices can achieve pain relief in the muscles, joints and soft tissue in only 40 minutes. As to pain of the organs, nerves and even menstrual pain, there are also significant results. Compared to analgesic drugs, it does not have any side effects, is very easy to use and can be applied anywhere there is pain.
3. Improves Regularity and Rids Toxins
There are two types of toxins, one is internal, and one is external.
Internal toxins refer to the waste produced from the metabolic activities of the body; external toxins refer to those that come into the body from the outside, such as metals, pesticides, and synthesized materials. They can all be breathed or ingested into the body and stay there as toxins.
Because of increasing amounts of pollution and mounting personal stress, the problem of toxins has become unprecedented severe. Many are worried about this problem.
Many methods that claim they can detoxify the body are not as effective as one might think and often has many negative side effects.
Chinese medicine adjusts the overall condition of the body, thus enables it to naturally neutralize or detoxify the body.
Acupuncture and massage are gemstones in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine; they are also the best way to detoxify. Its effect has been proven through thousands of years of experience, and does not have any side effects. Home electronic physiotherapeutic devices imitate real massage techniques, apply these to certain acupuncture points and thus achieve the same effects as professional acupuncture and massage practitioners.
4. Calms Nerves and Helps Sleep
Modern medicine has found that when people are sleeping, there are four kinds of brainwaves which the brain produces. In deep sleep, brainwaves are seen to be low in frequency and steady, and when insomnia occurs, brainwaves are seen to disorganized and messy. If sleep waves can be transmitted into the central nervous system, then brainwaves can be patterned and therefore sleep is induced.
Only medium frequency pulses can be used on the head, face and neck areas. This kind of devices combined with the needle point technique of Chinese medicine, can transmit sleep waves to the brain through the use of specially made ear clips. Over time, the brain can be trained to maintain this sleep pattern and therefore overcome insomnia.
Aside from using acupuncture points on the ear to transmit sleep waves, these devices can also adjust the Jing-Luo of the entire body to help patients sleep better. To induce sleep and treat the cause at the same time is both scientific and effective.
5. Reduces Fat Storage and Helps Weight Loss
Mankind has suffered hunger and famine for many years. After 3 million years of evolution, the body has adopted many mechanisms to prolong human life even in the face of hunger. These mechanisms can store extra energy as fat to turn into glucose in the event of hunger.
In today’s flourishing environment, these mechanisms have caused an opposite effect, and thus obesity has become the problem of the century. Obesity is a problem not only in the aesthetic sense, but also because it is a health risk that has been linked to heart diseases, arteriosclerosis and the like
From the formation of obesity, we can see that the key to being slim is exercise and proper diet.
Electronic physiotherapeutic devices induce the muscles to contract themselves and are different from the passive movement caused by common vibration devices. This kind of self movement has the same effect as exercise.
There is no doubt that running, swimming, aerobics and the like have great effects on weight loss, the problem is, and these activities are hard to keep up. The use of home physiotherapeutic devices truly achieve ease in weight loss, it can be done while working, studying, doing house chores, even entertainment; it can be done outside, inside, during travel, etc.
Weight loss through home electronic therapeutic devices not only focuses on the specific part, but improves and adjusts the condition of the body as a whole; that’s why it is fast, effective, and permanent.
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