Why a course on ‘trigrams’ acupuncture?

In the western world, acupuncture has often been given a bad press as it is mainly proposed in terms unacceptable to modern science.
Firstly, the rather archaic and bizarre language used in the explanations of both its physiology and pathology renders it inaccessible to the scientific mind.  Sentences like: “Yin-Yang…”, “Perverse energies”, “Fire of the liver”, ”Heart governor” and, last but not least, “Multicoloured dragons!!!” make contemporary scientists cringe!  A close look at the Chinese bibliography of both ancient and more recent times shows how this terminology, rather than being the invention of some romantic westerners, forms the essential linguistic patrimony of most Chinese classics.

Secondly, the theory of Acupuncture has not evolved much over the centuries and it is still essentially based on compilations written over 3.500 years ago!
Both the above reasons are at the core of much criticism and lack of credibility wedged at it by the scientific world: frustrated and discouraged, western scientists thus refuse to even consider paying any attention to its propositions.

However, recent studies applied to Acupuncture have shown how the language used in the transmission of traditional data is nothing else but a ‘codified message’, a very cryptic discourse based on the rules of the ancient Taoist thought. From this perspective, assertions such as: “The Spleen is yellow and is an organ of digestion” or “The liver is green and pertains to wood” that,  at first sight, cannot be taken seriously by the scientific  world should not be rejected, but put to the test of serious analytic procedures, so that their code is broken. In this way, the message they hide can be decoded, the full meaning of its postulates brought to light and its contents gradually revealed.

 ‘Trigrams’, the ‘magic tool’ of Chinese Medicine’s utensils box, is what can truly give the keys that can ‘open’ traditional data and, consequently, lead to a  deeper understanding of the workings of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture. 

In addition, by relying on analytic methods informed by western contemporary scientific knowledge,  ‘Trigrams’   acupuncture not only

facilitates the decoding of traditional data, but also renders Chinese acupuncture palatable to the most stubborn western scientific minds. In specific, the study of the classic ‘trigrams’ combined at a very high academic level with the contemporary wealth of knowledge informing ‘Thermodynamic energetics’ leads to a greater  understanding of the whole body of Chinese Medicine’s, including its physiology. This, in turn, opens the way to new discoveries.
Thus, without violating Chinese acupuncture’s fundamental classic parameters, this procedure allows also for the growth of the discipline.
This is probably the main reason why this approach - that has met with an enormous success in countries like the USA, Canada, Germany, Israel as well as Italy - is gaining favour in the whole academic world, including the best Chinese Universities, where traditional data are also being verified.

ETAS: “Energetic and Traditional Acupuncture School” (London)

In brief, E.T.A.S (from October also in London) is probably the only school of thought capable of explaining and developing Traditional Chinese Acupuncture’s core concepts in a very intriguing and fascinating contemporary and scientific manner, whilst paying  at the same time full respect to its ancient tradition.
In addition, this essentially scientific and modern approach, not only can explain traditional Chinese acupuncture, but also the whole of western medical knowledge. 
Last but not least, in a very fascination manner, it can help making sense of the whole wealth of human knowledge, thus opening the way to passionate research possibilities.
E.T.A.S will open in London on the 17th of October, 2009.