The Heart of Acupuncture: Review of Neoclassical Acupuncture by Slate Burris

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If you are concerned about why, since covid, acupuncture schools and practices are closing, Slate’s 2019 effort is the right book at the right time. It’s too soon to claim NCA has triggered a resurgence of interest in and study of acupuncture—and yet—if any text and any teacher can do it, Slate is positioned to do just this. This is an important book, a coherent, wonderful, masterful hands-on manual of theory and instruction! The writing is technical enuf for clinical students; simple and clear enuf for non-practicing students of Chinese medicine.

A summary of Section One chapters is given on pages 36-37. Section One reads like a PhD thesis documenting the most esoteric aspect of esoteric Buddhist and earlier Chinese Taoist philosophy: in my words, How do we model human awareness?; and, How does human awareness bridge heaven to earth and into clinical practice? Pages 79-80 summarize Section Two chapters. Pages 124-193 is an illustrated manual for palpation using axial theory for classroom and practicing clinicians.

Continuing with a brief summary, while NCA teaches needling, NCA contrasts with 1950s TCM and its USA-downstream, 1970s TCM, in two major differences (pg. 121):

- NCA seriously downplays the “motor” of the Mother-Child, Creation-Destruction cycles in the 5-element system, and

- NCA seriously downplays pulse diagnosis, herbs and moxabusiton, largely replacing it with hands-on palpation and fewer needles.

By contrast, “modern-1970s” Chinese-USA TCM is more needle-oriented; and, head-theory-oriented. NCA is more hands-on, touch-oriented, and evidence-based.

If these sounds like big, significant changes, you evaluate NCA correctly.

Unlike the West, historically what Chinese culture did NOT do was test which acupuncture theory gave more consistent clinical benefits. Rather, in China and the East, the contest remained on philosophical levels, which philosophy held more truth? What is at stake in choosing between a 5-elemental Phasal and a 6-element Axial system? They disagree over how to conceive of elemental interactions (pg. 82).

In this way, debate between a 5-element and 6-element system is exactly analogous in the West to, the useless debate among scholastics in the Middle Ages over, "How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?"

It appears in the last couple years, the axial 6-element system is providing more consistent good clinical results than the 5-element system. Therefore in 2025 we say The 5-element motor is valid IF it provides you consistent good clinical benefits. If it’s not, try the 6-element system. It may be, 6-element axial theory combined with hands-on palpation, has been the best kept secret in Chinese medicine.

TCM traditionalists will be glad to hear the Chinese propensity to never stigmatize older wisdom, the way the West does, is emphasized in Slate’s text. The Chinese never throw away old wisdom. More workable theory, giving more consistent results, simply comes to the fore in training schools; while, older methods and theories recede, yet are never discarded. You never know when you may want to use the mother-child cycle or pulse diagnosis in a problem case!

Slate documents a face of Chinese medicine unknown to most Westerners. In the 1950s, the Chinese government acknowledged Western medical ways. They tried to make Chinese medicine conform. This led in the early 1970s to a visit by the first group of Western MDs coming to China to learn acupuncture. Slate says Chinese medicine became “entwined” in the Western bio-medical paradigm.

On the left, is an acupuncture meridian needling chart for TCM and other uses (Touch for Health, etc). These are based on Chinese government approved TCM charts. In contrast, NCA prefers the channel version of meridians on the right.

Dg-liver meridian and channel

Slate believes while holding onto secrets is part of Chinese medicine, it impedes the development of evidence-based clinical Best Practices.

References

Slate Burris. Neoclassical Acupuncture: An adventure into China’s ancient past and the rediscovery of a revolutionary method of acupuncture (2019) - https://neoacupuntura.com/ $37.95

Qiological Podcast 378 ? Michael Max and Slate Burris - https://www.qiological.com/the-sixth-element/

The Earth-Ether Axis was excerpted and adapted from discussion of each of the three axes here: https://MackayAcupuncture.com.au/how-does-neoclassical-acupuncture-work

Podcast 378 summary- no pay wall - https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/from-five-sixth-elements-meridian-modalities-slate-burris-dickson-davsc/