Master Tung passed away in 1975 but his acupuncture system is alive and well and even experiencing something of a renaissance, at least in the West. The style is known as a family system as it was passed down through an oral tradition, often within a family. The system differs from the "Traditional Chinese Medicine" taught in schools, It uses unique points and diagnosis is often carried out by observing the pulse, the face and the hands. It's generally known as a very effective system and I've certainly noticed its popularity in the West surge in the last few years. 

A few years ago I was lucky enough to meet Dr Robert Chu, this was my first introduction to the style and it made a big impression. Since then I've studied the work of Chuan-Min Wang and Wei Chieh Young, two direct students of Master Tung. Although Tung acupuncture contains many unique points the theoretical basis is still rooted within the classic texts. It's taken me a few years to appreciate the intricacy of Tung acupuncture and it's still a work in progressive. Although the style itself is complete I've found it to be extremely effective for treating the branch or symptom. For example back pain will often respond very well to Tung Acupuncture, even though the points used may be no where near the lower back. In acupuncture circles Tung acupuncture is known for its distal needling, for example if experiencing back pain needles may be placed in the hands or legs, even the face. At first this may seem a little odd, and even for me it took some adjusting, however it didn't take long for me to see the effectiveness of this style. 

Tung acupuncture is actually rooted in Taoist philosophy that has been around for millennia. In later articles I will go into more detail as the topic is quite vast. I've found the combination of Japanese acupuncture and Tung acupuncture work extremely well together, enabling me to treat both the root effectively and the branch. If you have any questions about Tung acupuncture please feel free to contact me at: flowingriver.acu@gmail.com