It has come to my attention that the meaning behind Back Bay Acupuncture’s logo may not be clear, and it deserves an explanation. For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you might be surprised to find out that I even have a logo! Last spring when I moved and expanded the office I did a bit of an overhaul and updated the website, and, with that, the logo was created. A warm thanks and all of the credit goes to my brother, Jay, who is a graphic designer in New York (Thanks Jay!). Without his vision I would have been left to my own devices, and I guarantee that would have been a sad sight to see. This little image ties together some important concepts that I consider to be the heart of Chinese Medicine. Let me explain.
The squares represent individual pieces coming together to form a whole. This is how I view health. The mind, body, and spirit all need to be in balance. When there is a problem in one it will affect the others. If you’re feeling blue, you’ll start to feel it manifest in your physical body. If you’re in physical pain, it will likely distract you, make you feel irritable, or worried. They go hand in hand. It also represents how all of our organ systems work together and depend of each other to keep our entire body functioning properly.
The 3 central pieces give a visual sense of the Triple Warmer. This also symbolizes the philosophical concept that humans are the intersection of Heaven and Earth. This is a unique concept in Chinese Medicine. We have an upper, middle, and lower warmer. Simply, these parts represent respiration, digestion, and elimination; all vital processes for survival. The Triple Warmer serves many other intricate functions. I won’t go into the details now, but trust me, it’s fascinating! The wide upper part, narrow center, and wide lower part of the image expresses the philosophical idea that humans are in the middle of Heaven and Earth. Chinese Medicine also considers the human body as a micro system of the environment. Our health is a reflection of the state of the Earth and vice versa. Therefore, we need to be as gentle with the environment as with our own bodies.
The number of squares represent the developmental cycles of 7 for females and 8 for males. There are 7 pieces that make up the whole. Or you could look at it as 4 upper pieces and 4 lower pieces with the center piece overlapped. Females reach a different developmental stage approximately every 7 years. The onset of menstruation (approximately 14 years old), reproductive maturity (21-42 years old), and menopause (42 - 49 years old). Males follow a similar cycle very 8 years.
That's it in a nutshell!