This stands in contrast to biomedicine, which has no concept of vital energy and does not recognize the holistic unity of body, mind and spirit. Internal factors are also considered responsible for poor health, especially Fear, Anger and other excessive emotions. In regard to treating addictions, the TCM therapy that has received the most publicity in recent years is acupuncture, especially the ear microsystem of acupuncture. These points are needled shallowly in the normal TCM manner. Moreover, in order to facilitate self-control over cravings and distressful symptoms, the patient may be taught to apply acupressure with the fingertips at certain auricular acupoints or to press small auricular pins that are inserted and retained at specific acupoints for a period of one or two weeks.
Acupuncture works from the outside to the inside of the body.
As such, it is a valuable tool for gaining expeditious control over the various painful or distressful symptoms often experienced by addicts. It has a relatively slow but long-lasting effect in redressing the fundamental vital energetic disharmony that in the TCM system is the very definition of disease. Acupuncture and herbal medicine, then, complement one another. However, these two important therapeutic modalities should always be supplemented with Qi Gong which works from both the outside in and the inside out. Qi Gong has been used in China for over 2000 years to enhance total physical, mental and spiritual vital energetic harmony.