Our modern medical system offers many effective treatments for injuries, infections and lifethreatening
diseases. Survival rates have improved for patients with heart disease and cancer. Yet
medicine offers few viable answers for patients with degenerative neuro-muscular conditions such
as multiple sclerosis (MS), Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and Parkinson’s. This means that patients
with these conditions and their families are frequently seeking complementary and alternative
practitioners that may offer hope for improvement. It is not very common, however, even for
acupuncturists and other CAM professionals to be able to consistently help such patients recover.
Patients with degenerative neuro-muscular disease (abbreviated in this article as (DNMD for short)
present with paralyzed, spastic, weakened or wasting limbs and muscles. There is often pain and
loss of body functions, including speech. MS, for example, can be tragic, with many young people’s
bodies becoming rapidly spastic and dysfunctional, often leading to early death. I personally
witnessed a good friend of mine, with whom I used to share vigorous martial arts and tai chi
workouts, decline and die within one year after being diagnosed with ALS. This happened in spite
of all the medical and alterative healing treatments he received during that year.
The etiology of these conditions is poorly understood. It appears that they are likely to be caused by
some combination of deep unresolved emotional imbalances and build up of neuro-toxins and/or
pathogens from the environment. Increased susceptibility to harmful electro-magnetic fields may
also be a factor.
Microcurrent electro-acupuncture (MEA) offers a bright ray of hope and frequently positive results for
patients with DNMD. The key is providing both systemic and symptomatic treatment protocols.
Results are best when therapy is offered as part of a multi-disciplinary approach that also addresses
nutritional and medical needs. This article focuses on systemic MEA therapies we have found very
useful for a wide range of degenerative conditions.
Here is an overview of the electro-acupuncture methods we have found useful for DNMD.
Systemic MEA Treatments for DNMD
The mode of action of systemic treatments is regulation of neurological, hormonal, circulatory and
subtle energy systems of the body. This is based on the recognition that the distressing symptoms
of DNMD originate in long-term imbalances in these systems. When these systems are balanced
and supplemented, patients almost always also report increase in their overall energy levels and
feelings of enhanced emotional well-being. 2 – 4 of the following techniques are used in each
therapy session.
1. Autonomic regulation therapy: Treating 7 – 8 sets of back Shu points with biphasic microcurrent.
At each level of the spine, applying a series of therapeutic microcurrent frequencies and a color of
light that positively resonates with the corresponding Organ system. For example, treating the
bilateral back Shu points of the Liver with Green light and a sequence of ramping frequencies.
Therapeutic colors can be selected by reference to 5-Element correspondences or the work of
Dinshah or Mandel1.
2. Governing Vessel (Du Mai) treatment: Treating multiple sets of Du points with frequency
sequences and light2
3. Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) treatment: similar to 2. for the front of the body
4. Auricular therapy: Using micro-macro technique3 to connect dysfunctional or painful body areas
with corresponding ear points. Treating sets of systemic tune-up points in the ear with
microcurrent4. Treating neuro-muscular reflex points on the back of the ear.
5. Odonton treatments: Using intra-oral probe to stimulate micro-system gum areas in the mouth
that help regulate various Organ systems.
6. PNE balancing: Treating imbalanced chakras with polarized microcurrent and appropriate colors
of light to help correct psycho-emotional and hormonal disturbances5.
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Do emotional and mind-body imbalances distort the spin of
the chakras, leading to DNMD, or does the stress of having DNMD cause the chakras to go off? Or
both? Regardless of the answer, treating the patient’s chakras from a place of awareness and
loving support can significantly help their healing process.
7. Scalp electro-acupuncture: Putting patient’s bare feet on a brass grounding plate, and using
probe with red or infra-red light and microcurrent to stimulate scalp acu-points. In this case a circuit
is set up between the scalp points and the feet, which often has very beneficial effects on the entire
nervous system.
Symptomatic MEA Treatments for DNMD
There are many excellent electro-medical treatments that directly work on muscles, fascia and the
nervous system to prevent wasting and atrophy, relieve pain, improve range of motion and stimulate
blood and energy circulation. We can usually see positive responses to these techniques during the
treatment session, in some cases surprisingly rapidly. A case that comes to mind was a post-stroke
male patient in a wheelchair I treated in Japan who had not been able to move his left hand for many
years. A single application of probes and Russian stimulation pad treatments allowed him to move
his wrist and flex his fingers for the first time.
1. Microcurrent probe treatments: circling the Dragon, local-distal meridian treatments, trigger point
release
1 For a useful chart of Organ – color correspondences, see my article in the Knowledge Base at http://www.eastwestseminars.
com/therapeutic_effects_of_the_colors_and_chakra_correspondances_article.html
2 Microcurrent and color light therapy is administered using the Acutron Mentor colorlight probe system
