Back to Balance Massage Therapy & Bodyworks

10/01/2025

08/18/2025

Stop Framing Acupuncture as Mere “Energy Flow” – A Call for Scientific and Historical Integrity

The persistent tendency in Western medical discourse to frame Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture as a form of “energy healing” based solely on vague concepts like qi or “meridian energy flow” is not only scientifically irresponsible — it is intellectually dishonest and culturally dismissive.

🔹 Acupuncture Is a Neurophysiological Intervention — Not Mysticism

What is referred to as qi and meridians in classical East Asian medicine is not unscientific. These were pre-modern conceptual models developed to describe real, reproducible human physiological responses — particularly somato-visceral reflexes, autonomic regulation, and descending pain modulation through central nervous system pathways.

Modern neuroscience has validated that acupuncture involves:
• Activation of nociceptive and proprioceptive afferents
• Regulation of autonomic nervous system tone
• Stimulation of descending inhibitory pathways in the brain and spinal cord
• Neuroendocrine and immune modulation through hypothalamic-pituitary axis effects

Dismissing this as “energy work” while ignoring the neurobiological mechanisms is equivalent to calling cardiopulmonary resuscitation “ritual chest compressions.”

🔹 IMS Is Derived from TCM’s Ashi Point Techniques

Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS), often practiced by physical therapists with as little as 50 hours of training, is essentially a rebranded version of Ashi point acupuncture — a foundational method in TCM used for centuries to treat myofascial pain and neuromuscular dysfunctions.

Yet IMS practitioners routinely claim their method is “different from acupuncture,” attempting to distance themselves from TCM in order to gain institutional legitimacy — while simultaneously using the exact same tools (needles) and target tissues (trigger points).

This is not scientific innovation. It is academic appropriation.

🔹 Misrepresentation Undermines Both Science and Ethics

To portray acupuncture solely as “meridian energy flow” while claiming that IMS or “dry needling” is distinct and evidence-based is to:

1. Deny the historical and clinical reality of acupuncture as a somatic therapy grounded in empirical observation
2. Perpetuate a colonial bias, reducing non-Western medical systems to caricatures
3. Ignore converging evidence from pain science, neurology, and physiology that supports acupuncture’s systemic effects

🔹 A Call for Intellectual Honesty

If the medical and academic community seeks to promote scientific rigor, it must stop:
• Treating TCM terminology (qi, jing-luo) as inherently unscientific rather than contextually pre-modern
• Appropriating acupuncture techniques under different names (IMS, dry needling) without acknowledgment
• Framing East Asian medicine as “mystical energy work” while claiming neurophysiological legitimacy for functionally identical Western versions

The integrity of science demands intellectual honesty, cultural respect, and historical accuracy. Anything less is not medicine — it is propaganda.

07/24/2025

“Are You Escaping Reality Through "Spirituality"?

You meditate for hours. You repeat affirmations. You talk about "raising your vibration" and "manifesting abundance." You immerse yourself in spiritual texts and gurus. But the brutal truth is, for you, your spiritual practices have become a sophisticated bypass mechanism, a cunning way to avoid confronting your real-world problems and emotional mess.

This isn't about enlightenment; it's spiritual escapism, a desperate attempt to float above the mundane, the uncomfortable, and the deeply human aspects of your existence. You use "positivity" to deny anger, "surrender" to avoid accountability, and "higher vibrations" to ignore your shadow. You intellectualize your pain away, convinced that if you just think "good thoughts," the hard work of true integration will magically happen.

You're not evolving; you're just orbiting your issues, creating a facade of peace while the core problems fester beneath. Your "spirituality" isn't setting you free; it's binding you to an illusion, keeping you safely disconnected from the very mess that holds your true power. ~unkkown

Hashtags:

07/24/2025

THE HIDDEN POWER OF HOLDING YOUR BREATH~~
"Most of us breathe without thinking...but what if I told you that holding your breath for short periods could literally rebuild your body from the inside out?
This powerful practice is called intermittent hypoxia; intentionally pausing your breath for brief moments. It’s been shown to naturally stimulate the production of new stem cells, which are the building blocks your body uses to heal, regenerate organs, and even slow aging.
When you hold your breath, your body learns how to use oxygen more efficiently. It boosts brain clarity, balances your nervous system, strengthens your lungs, and awakens your inner calm. It’s a secret used by deep divers, monks, elite athletes, and yogis for centuries, now backed by science.
Pair it with pranayama (ancient breathing techniques) and you’re not just surviving, you’re upgrading.
You don’t need equipment. You don’t need a gym. Just you, your breath, and a few minutes daily.
In a world full of noise, sometimes the deepest healing starts in silence… between the breaths.
Start today. Your body and mind will thank you."~

~Paul Afanyu

07/16/2025

https://drsambailey.com/resources/videos/interviews/decade-of-dissolving-illusions-with-roman-bystrianyk/

Roman Bystrianyk has been researching the history of diseases and vaccines since 1998. He co-authored the book Dissolving Illusions in 2013 and continues to expose many of the false historical health stories we have all been taught since childhood. I recently interviewed Roman as he prepares the 10t...

06/08/2025

This is not just for women.

, , , , , When the body goes silent, the soul speaks. In this profound talk inspired by Sh...

05/30/2025

“The body is deeply interconnected. The gut influences every organ through pathways like inflammation, energy meridians, and fascia, which link every tissue in the body. Every thought and emotion affects how each organ functions. Even something as seemingly simple as shoulder pain can originate from an issue in the feet. Nothing in the body operates in isolation, everything is connected.”

05/27/2025

https://youtu.be/HzTvEK1sVi0?si=vB2smpiGNsOK6c1F

NOTE FROM TED: We've flagged this talk, which was filmed at a TEDx event, because it contains many assertions about Ayurveda that are not supported by the sc...

05/19/2025

https://rumble.com/v3ffjju-the-bio-electric-body.html

In this video i will highlight features and processes within our bio-electrical body, we are electromagnetic frequency creatures, we vibrate and resonate on the earths electrical heartbeat, a frequenc