KB writes: “My son and I received acupuncture therapy. At one point, the doctor said that energy was being channeled into my son and she needed to respect that energy until it slowed down to continue. I feel uneasy about this, and am concerned that we may have exposed ourselves to something we should not have. What should I do about this?”
You are correct to be concerned about this situation because whenever you hear the word “channel” it likely means contact with the occult. The concept of acupuncture is based on the belief that bodily functions are regulated by an energy called qi, but the idea of channeling this energy introduces another dimension to the equation. Acupuncturists normally apply fine needles to the skin’s surface at key points on the body to allow the “chi” to flow through blocked channels or to redirect it into other routes. They don’t typically “channel” it.
Channeling energy is more like what a Reiki master does when he or she actually allows the “energy” to flow through them into the patient under the direction of a “spirit guide” which is a spiritual entity (aka demon). This acupuncturist may be employing a combination of practices which is not surprising because there is absolutely no regulation or standards in the alternative medicine field. Practitioners can pretty much do whatever they want.
That said, this also indicates the presence of the very real spiritual component to acupuncture and its origins in oriental medicine that is often overlooked by Christians.
As the website Acupuncture Today explains, in oriental medicine, there is no separation between mind, body and spirit. All are seen as components of the life force. This is why acupuncturists believe that “the spirit is the motive force of organism and must be reached first in order to initiate the healing process.”
It goes on to explain: “In Oriental medicine, the acupuncture needle is often seen as the instrument of containing the spirit because the needles are inserted into discrete acupuncture points, each of which is said to control specific physiological functions of the body down to the cellular level – indeed, what we might think of as the innate wisdom or spirit of the body.
“However, Oriental medicine also recognizes that before a practitioner can insert a needle in someone, another form of spirit connecting is also optimal. Whether it be guided imagery, eye contact, a handshake, or the ability to listen and be present, satisfying medicine for both practitioner and patient requires the possibility of meaningful interaction that allows a deeper, soulful, spiritual encounter. It is the medicine of the past and the new millennium. Needling acupuncture points is a powerful avenue for achieving this connection.”
The article goes on to list different locations in the body to needle in order to affect the spirit of a person.
In other words, whether your Catholic acupuncturist intends it or not, the spiritual aspect of acupuncture is intrinsic to the practice. Acupuncture is based on the belief that there is no separation between mind, body and spirit so whatever the acupuncturist is doing is intended to affect all three aspects of the patient.
In addition to this, when you are laying on a table being treated by an acupuncturist, you are opening yourself to a practitioner who believes in a universal life force which is akin to a god in many religions. As we read in the Pontifical document, Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life, this life force energy is called “the New Age god.”
Although Taoism does not have a god, per se, Tao is considered to be the universal life force or the underlying nature of all things that exist in the world and the path one must follow.
This belief is not compatible with Christianity. We believe that the path we must follow is the Will of our Creator, not the Tao!
And because we know that the universal life force does not exist, and the Fathers of our Church teach that Satan and his minions hide behind the false gods of other religions, we are exposing ourselves to demonic forces whenever we participate in practices that are based in these beliefs.
Unless you have had some obvious symptoms of demonic activity since this treatment (insomnia, inability to concentrate, accidents, strange dreams, etc.) you should not worry about it and trust that the Lord protected you; however, I would advise seeking alternatives to acupuncture, such as TENS machines or physical therapy, in the future.
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