Q I HAVE been reading about complementary therapies and would like to know what you mean when you say that acupuncture is holistic?

A That is a great question, as "holistic" is one of those terms commonly used about complementary therapies but because it is rarely explained, we are often left to ponder its precise meaning. I will do my best to clarify these murky waters.

Traditional Chinese medical acupuncture is defined as a holistic medicine because it satisfies five fundamental requirements:

1. It involves gentle, natural, low-tech interventions such as fine needles, acupressure massage, moxabustion, and cupping to promote a self-healing response by re-directing or re-aligning your Qi.

2. It embraces the concept of mind, body and spirit, where the unifying factor is Qi, which is the link between, and the substance of, mind, body and spirit.

3. It sees health as a positive state of being that occurs when the opposing forces, or polar complements, Yin Qi and Yang Qi, are perfectly balanced. At these times you feel really well in every way and at every level. It is a dynamic harmony you are always working towards, consciously and unconsciously, in your ever-changing life.

4. It involves individualised treatment to meet your health care needs. For example, take two patients with low back pain. Patient A tells their acupuncturist that their low back pain is worse for walking and much better for warmth and rest, that their knees feel weak, and that they also get headaches with dizziness at the end of the day. Patient B tells their acupuncturist that their low back pain is worse first thing in the morning and much better for walking and moving around. These differences would require their acupuncturist use quite different acupuncture points and techniques, even though both patients have low back pain.

5. It often involves practical lifestyle advice, such as Chinese dietary therapy or guidance on relaxation and exercise. For example, it may be that you have a weak digestive system with symptoms of fatigue, bloating after eating, loose stools and weight gain. To help you become healthy and, more importantly, stay healthy, your acupuncturist would aim to advise about foods to eat to strengthen your digestive system (e.g. porridge, soups and stews). They would also tell you about foods to avoid or minimise because they could weaken, overwhelm or block up your digestive system (e.g. ice-cream, raw vegetables and bread).

Updated: 08:41 Monday, October 14, 2002