"Treating an illness after it has begun is like suppressing revolt after it has broken out. If someone digs a well only when thirsty, or forges weapons only after becoming engaged in battle, one cannot help but ask: Aren’t these actions too late?"
Huang Di
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CARDINAL POINT HEALTH
www.cardinalpointhealth.com
#1 772 Bay Street​
(250) 598-3718
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Schedule:
Tuesday : 2-9
Thursday : 2-9
​Sunday : 10-6
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Interested in Cupping
Therapy?
Cupping therapy is a Chinese Medical practice that is used to increase circulation, improve fascial flexibility, decrease tension, diminish inflammation and encourage detoxification. Cupping therapy, unless specifically requested, will typically include Acupuncture as well.
"Chinese Medicine has been for me the fulfillment of a search for a congenial system of healing [that is] a personal, subtle, gentle, yet highly technical medical system which allows me to be close to the essence, to the life force; both of my own and that of others."
Dr. Leon Hammer
MORGAN RIGNEY
Registered Acupuncturist in Victoria, BC
"However long it took me to get here, and however long it lasts - Chinese Medicine has become such a light in my life. How could I decide something with such a practical reasoning, and yet end up in the most radical position of treating patients with a medicine that reconnects every part of them.
You're healing their oldest wounds; calming never-ending nervous tension; and drawing their gaze to a deeper part of themselves - a part they've been avoiding. You're connecting them (again) to their physical and instinctual self. This is the ultimate intuitive connection; this is connection to self. "
Who am I?
My name is Morgan Rigney. I am a Registered Acupuncturist in British Columbia, Canada. I wound up in school to become an Acupuncturist rather spontaneously. I suppose I was a lost soul - searching for a meaningful career. I knew I wanted to help people in some way. I figured health was a good realm to work in. I knew I wanted to be self-employed and make my own schedule. I knew I had ambitions to support the educational pursuits of my co-workers. I knew I wanted to be living a comfortable life and able to sustain myself. I knew I wanted to work one on one with people and somehow get through to the spiritual side of reality while maintaining my footing in the earth.
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I considered Acupuncture. After ruling every other alternative medical treatment (including Chiropractic and Physiotherapy), I realized that Acupuncture came out on top for many reasons. I figured, 'alright, I've chosen this', and I would move to Victoria, BC to pursue my studies. I expected a rigorous schedule, massive textbooks and, at some point, I would be putting needles in people. What I didn't expect, however, was how much at home I would feel on the first day of orientation.
What do I do?
I never thought I would be doing Acupuncture, but here I am, nine years later, fully self-sufficient and I have the honour of helping people feel better and connecting them to their body. Acupuncture is a technique within the Chinese Medical Tradition. This is merely one method of treatment. Other methods of treatment include Qi Gong & Tai Qi, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Typically, in the Western world (North America) practitioners are taught "Traditional Chinese Medicine". This is a specific off-shoot of Chinese Medicine. In the 1950's, Chairman Mao consolidated the various styles of Chinese Medicine into one overarching framework. This designation was less about the medicine than it was about a political advantage in connecting Western and Chinese Medicine into a relatively similar scope. Unfortunately, with this, much of the classic knowledge and understanding of Classical Chinese Medicine was lost, forgotten, or no longer deemed applicable in treatment. This has done us practitioners a great disservice. However, the regulation of Chinese Medicine did provide us the opportunity to bring Chinese Medicine to the West and is thus why you are here today, able to receive Acupuncture treatment in Canada. So, in turn, we can be grateful to Chairman Mao for this change.
Why do I do it?
As I struggled through my 20's, it was difficult to find a fulfilling career as well as to stimulate my desire to engage with people and educate them about something that truly matters. When I somehow stumbled into the Acupuncture program and then (even more unbelievably) passed the Board Examination, it brought a peace to my life that I never thought I'd find. As a child / teen, I had an avid fantasy life of what my future would hold. One of the first "dream careers" I wanted was to be an herbalist, living in a grass-covered cottage outside of some mountain town and healing its people with things like Lemon Balm and Sweetgrass. Little did I know at that point that this was an actual career. However, I would not come to do this in the end. But the true source of what I wanted was to be able to be creative, autonomous, and help people feel good in some way. I considered multiple directions and medical alternatives, however I settled on Acupuncture and I am glad I did.
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My favourite quote regarding Chinese Medicine is this one by Dr. Leon Hammer (it is also written above): "Chinese Medicine has been for me the fulfillment of a search for a congenial system of healing [that is] a personal, subtle, gentle, yet highly technical medical system which allows me to be close to the essence, to the life force; both of my own and that of others". Dr. Hammer studied and practiced Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis until he began studying Chinese Medicine in the 1970's. He practiced alongside Chinese master Dr. J.F. Shen (Shen-Hammer style of Acupuncture) for 27 years. It is exactly this that Dr. Hammer expresses above that relates to my youthful desire for meaning. I wanted to be close to the life force yet remain grounded in the physical world of medicine. How lucky was I to have ended up here.
Who cares?
There is a quote by Confucius, even mentioned in the Shang Han Lun (Discussion on Cold Damage) written by Zhang Zhong-Jing and translated by Guohui Liu, that very clearly establishes my approach to understanding the medical theory of Chinese Medicine, both Classical and Traditional.
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"Those who know naturally from birth are greatest; those who understand by study are
second to them; those who understand by broadly listening and memorizing are inferior."
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This may sound like a harsh statement to make, especially for those finding difficulty understanding the material, however, the key part to take away from what Confucius has stated is that there is a difference in types of understanding. Understanding by study and understanding by memorizing. The latter, being what many find themselves doing in medical fields, as there is only a short amount of time to retain a multitude of information. They think, 'memorize for the exam, pass the exam and then go from there'. This is not true understanding. True understanding links to the former type. Understanding by study, rather than being about "studying", is more related to how we integrate and connect to the information. We may not have been born with an innate talent, ("those who know naturally from birth"), but we can learn. This is the greatest gift we must strive to attain. That is why asking questions is so important. My core principles in my own practice as well as in my mentorship, and why I hope to work closely with you to truly understand the theory, are the following:
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Core Principles of Study
i. curious and continued study
ii. ask the simplest question (Occam's Razor)
iii. dig to the core of the answer, find its beginning
iv. re-iterate the answer in your own language
v. connect the answer to core aspects of the material
