Originating in China more than 2000 years ago, acupuncture is quite possibly one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world.  Both acupuncture and acupressure describe procedures that involve the stimulation of certain anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques.  The American methods of acupuncture are somewhat unique but incorporate traditions from China, Korea, Japan and other countries. 

"From the moment each of us is created, we are given a very special combination of traits and gifts from our parents and ancestors. In Chinese Medicine this is known as Pre-Heaven or Congenital Qi (pronounced 'chee'). When we are born, we are nourished and nurtured by our parents’ and caregivers’ actions, the food we are given, and the environment we live in. This is known as Post-Heaven or Acquired Qi. While we have little control of what we are born with, we do have some influence over the factors we allow to nurture us. The foods we eat, the people we interact with, the activities we engage in: all of these affect our energy, mood, and overall health. And all these things in turn, can have a very real impact on the future generations we create as well."  (statement from Acupuncture.com)

Acupuncture is a key component in traditional Chinese medicine, where the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang.  A major assumption is that there must be a balanced state maintained between these forces in order to achieve health - disease is due to an internal imbalance of the two, leading to a blockage in the flow of vital energy (the Qi mentioned above).  This energy flows along 20 pathways known as meridians, connected by 2,000 acupuncture points.
 

Although some studies have been unable to explain how exactly acupuncture works - at least within the way that the Western system of medicine is practiced in the United States - these same studies document that it does work.  Thin, solid metallic needles placed at the proper locations apparently stimulate blood flow, release certain natural body chemicals and rebalance the yin and yang.  Perhaps an oversimplification, but the key is: it does work. In fact:

"According to the National Institute of Health Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness... promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situations--such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma--in which acupuncture may be useful..."

Asked when he developed his interest in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, DiIorio admits that a sister-in-law who is a medical doctor that practices traditional Chinese medicine may have had some influence. However, a greater influence probably came from another source.  While finishing with his degree, one of the gentlemen with whom Dr. Dave was working was a Medical Doctor in China who had come to the United States, wanting to practice acupuncture.  He had chosen to do it through a Chiropractic Degree, since at that point there was really not an acupuncture profession, and it was not licensed in the state of Illinois.  Much of the training that Dr. Dave received was at the house of the Chinese Doctor - they would often practice techniques on one another.  Dr. Dave learned much about how to stimulate the body to help it in the healing process.  He states: "I am not the true traditional Chinese acupuncturist... I use mostly patterns that are welcomed to specific areas like the neck or lower back that accelerate healing at a level that just doesn't occur when you use regular treatment.  I also use EMI (electromagnetic imaging) to create graphs to look at someone who has different types of issues... like stress.  That gives us a deeper level of understanding of the energy or meridian imbalance inside the body."

I queried as to how often people come in for acupuncture treatments. "I didn't use acupuncture much when I first went into practice - I used it more as I began to see that it was more successful in helping people in other ways.  After being fortunate enough to purchase the practice here in Geneva, I knew that it included acupuncture as one of its services.  I returned to do more post-graduate work to solidify my background in acupuncture and learn more about when, how and why to use it.  Since then, it has really taken off.  For the most part, I use acupuncture along with other modalities to help my patients with things like stress and musculoskeletal injuries, but also as a modality along with the EMI graph to help people heal in different ways."

For this author, acupuncture -- in combination with other modalities such as electric stimulation to muscles in my neck and back, and the occasional "adjustments" with which most people are familiar -- has been a solution that defies description.  It has brought relief to long-term digestive problems, it has returned flexibility to aching limbs.  It has relieved acute stress brought on by the pressures of a world that moves too fast and costs too much.  I am truly feeling better than I have in a long, long time.  And I have Dr. Dave DiIorio to thank for it.

It was getting late, and I realized that I had taken enough time from a man who was anxious to get back to his patients.  One final bit of wisdom was passed along before we parted.  Dr. Dave told me that in Chiropractic school, the method of learning at a certain point became different from traditional medical school. No cadavers could be used... students practiced everything on each other.  What resulted was "you didn't want to mess up on your partner, 'cause you didn't want them to mess up on you.  When you got through with school, you were humble.  And when you work with people... that is one extremely positive aspect of my training that continues to be translated even 14 years down the road.  When you learn how to be a Chiropractor, you should - with every patient that walks through the door - learn understand them a little bit better."