Village Acupuncture

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The Ancient Practice of Acupuncture
Acupuncture, as practiced at Village Acupuncture, is the art of inserting extremely thin needles into specific locations to alleviate discomfort and affect change in the body. The techniques of diagnosis and treatment that we employ in our practice today have evolved over the course of 2000 years.

In ancient times, Asian healing rituals often included acupuncture and herbal treatments. Century after century, practitioners of these healing arts shared their experiences and observations to refine the practices of acupuncture and herbology. In an effort to explain how the insertion of needles can affect a person's health, these practitioners developed the concept of Qi.
The Concept of Qi
Qi (pronounced "chee") is the Chinese name for the vital energy that powers the universe and gives us life. When we are born we inherit a finite amount of "Ancestral Qi." As we perform the normal functions of life, we tap into this Ancestral Qi, thus depleting the energy in our bodies. To supplement and preserve the Ancestral Qi, we convert food, water and air into more vital energy. Life ends when Ancestral Qi is totally depleted.

When Qi is plentiful and flowing smoothly through the body to our organs and limbs, we feel healthy and strong. When Qi is depleted and its movement is inhibited, we feel ill and debilitated. This debilitation may take the form of physical pain, emotional imbalance, digestive difficulty, or any other symptom of disease. Qi that doesn't move properly often stagnates in one part of the body causing pain in that area.

Acupuncture and Qi Movement
According to the ancient theories, acupuncture helps break up Qi stagnation, enabling Qi to move freely, thereby improving bodily function. One modern theory is that the needle actually creates a circuit that reopens a pathway of Qi in an area where it has become congested.

Qi imbalances that are relatively recent may change right away with the patient experiencing great relief after only one treatment. Conditions that have existed for a long time often lead to a complicated pattern of imbalances that can take longer to unravel.

Acupuncture and Western medicine
Western medical practitioners are eager to explain the positive benefits of acupuncture. Their research has demonstrated that acupuncture affects the endocrine, immune and central nervous systems, but has not been able to account for the curative effects people experience from acupuncture treatments.

Today, many Eastern and Western healers work together to improve the health of their patients, continually finding ways in which the two disciplines complement each other.

Acupuncture is a complete healing system and can treat most diseases. The following is a list of some that lend themselves particularly well to acupuncture treatment.

Mitchel Chalek, BFA, MS, LAc
Mitchel Chalek, acupuncturist at Village Acupuncture since 1999, received his Master of Science in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and his bachelor's degree from New York University. He is Nationally Certified in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology and licensed to practice acupuncture in both New York and New Jersey. He is also certified in Ohashiatsu, a Japanese acupressure technique.

Mitchel is a faculty member of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City and The Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine in Montclair, NJ, where he teaches acupuncture and Chinese herbology. He held the position of Senior Acupuncturist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Integrative Care Center from 2002-2003. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Acupuncture Society of New York where he was the editor of their publication The Meridian Times.

The name "Village Acupuncture" pays homage to the social unit that lies at the very heart of civilization, both eastern and western, ancient and modern. More than just a place of origin, the village is the center of our community and provides the "home base" or background against which we live our lives. In the following poem, the village is described as a place in which to commune with nature and with one's fellow man.

Wait till the Autumn Festival comes again,
I will return in time for the blooming of chrysanthemums.