Dr Tan's Balance Method

By Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Wokingham

Dr Tan's Balance Method (sometimes called Si Tong or Acupuncture 1-2-3) is a distal acupuncture system developed by the late Dr Richard Tan, in which needles are placed in the limbs — usually well away from the site of pain — chosen using a set of six channel pairings and the principle of mirror imaging. It is particularly known for producing rapid pain relief, often within a single session.

The method is grounded in classical Chinese channel theory but presents it in an unusually clear, almost algorithmic form. It has become one of the most influential modern acupuncture systems for musculoskeletal and neurological pain, and is widely taught alongside Master Tung's acupuncture, with which it shares much of its lineage.

On this page

1. What is the Balance Method?
2. Origins — Dr Richard Tan
3. The six channel pairings
4. Image and mirroring
5. Conditions Balance Method suits
6. Balance Method vs TCM acupuncture — the differences
7. Balance Method in Wokingham
8. FAQs

1. What is the Balance Method?

The Balance Method is a distal acupuncture system: needles are placed in the arms and legs, away from the area of pain or dysfunction. The selection of which channel to needle is based on a set of classical channel relationships systematised by Dr Tan into “six systems” of balance. Once the channel is chosen, the practitioner uses the principle of image (the mirror or anatomical correspondence between body parts) to choose the precise needling point.

Patients are often asked to move the affected area during or immediately after needling. Reduction of pain on movement — sometimes complete — within minutes is a characteristic finding when the method is applied correctly. The needles are then retained, typically for 20–45 minutes.

2. Origins — Dr Richard Tan

Dr Richard Tan (1942–2015) was a Taiwanese-American acupuncturist who trained classically and then developed his teaching of channel theory into a highly structured system that could be taught and reproduced internationally. He was strongly influenced by Master Tung's acupuncture and by classical sources such as the I Ching, the Suwen and the Lingshu, but he repackaged the underlying principles into a small set of clear rules suitable for modern clinical practice.

Dr Tan taught extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. His work continues through the Si Yuan Balance Method organisation and the Sports Medicine Acupuncture tradition that has built on his teaching.

3. The six channel pairings

The Balance Method recognises six systems of channel pairing, all derived from classical Chinese theory:

• System 1 — Interior-Exterior (Biao Li) — e.g. Lung paired with Large Intestine.
• System 2 — Same-name channels — e.g. Hand Tai Yin (Lung) paired with Foot Tai Yin (Spleen).
• System 3 — Branch (Six-fu) channels — channels meeting at the chest and head.
• System 4 — Opposite channels on the clock — channels six hours apart on the Chinese channel clock.
• System 5 — Five-element relationships — channels related by the controlling cycle of the five elements.
• System 6 — Combined / advanced — combinations of the above for complex cases.

For a given pain pattern, the practitioner can choose any of these systems — each will reach the affected channel via a different healthy paired channel. The choice depends on the patient, the location, the diagnosis and the practitioner's strategy.

4. Image and mirroring

Once the channel is chosen, the needling point is located using the principle of image: parts of the body mirror each other anatomically. The hand mirrors the foot. The wrist mirrors the ankle. The elbow mirrors the knee. The shoulder mirrors the hip. Within a limb, the upper segment mirrors the lower. So a pain in the right shoulder might be needled at the left hip (cross-body mirror) or at the left ankle (same-side or cross-body, on a paired channel).

This mirroring is what gives the method its rapid effect — needling a healthy area that anatomically corresponds to the painful one allows the body's own regulating mechanisms to bring the affected area back into balance, often within minutes.

5. Conditions Balance Method suits

The Balance Method is most strongly indicated for:

• Acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain — neck, shoulder, back, hip, knee, ankle.
• Sports injuries and post-traumatic pain.
• Sciatica and radicular pain.
• Frozen shoulder, tennis and golfer's elbow.
• Carpal tunnel and ankle sprains.
• Headache and migraine in selected patients.

It is less commonly the system of choice for internal medicine, fertility or constitutional cases, although it can be combined with other approaches for these.

6. Balance Method vs TCM acupuncture — the differences

• Distal needling — Balance Method needles the limbs almost exclusively; TCM frequently needles local points around the affected area as well.
• Channel selection rules — Balance Method uses six explicit channel pairings; TCM uses a wider, less algorithmic approach.
• Immediate testing — patients are asked to move and report pain change in the moment after needling; TCM is less feedback-driven in this way.
• Speed of effect — Balance Method routinely produces a measurable change within minutes; TCM often takes longer.
• Shared foundation — both rest on classical channel theory.

7. Balance Method in Wokingham

My own training is primarily in TCM acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, but I integrate Balance Method thinking into the treatment of acute and chronic pain where it is the right fit. Distal needling allows me to treat painful areas without needing to needle near the injury — particularly useful in the early acute stage, when local needling would be uncomfortable or contraindicated.

To discuss whether a Balance Method-style distal approach suits your pain pattern, contact me at my Wokingham clinic.

8. FAQs

Does the Balance Method really work in one session?

Often the change in pain is measurable in the first session. Sustained improvement usually takes several treatments, especially for chronic conditions. The first-session response is a useful indicator but not the whole picture.

Why don't you needle where it hurts?

Distal needling treats the affected channel via a healthy paired channel elsewhere on the body, allowing the body's regulating mechanisms to reach the painful area without further irritating it. This is particularly helpful in acute injuries.

Is the Balance Method the same as Master Tung's acupuncture?

They are closely related — Dr Tan was strongly influenced by Master Tung's tradition — but they are not the same. Master Tung uses a unique set of points handed down in his family lineage; the Balance Method works primarily with classical TCM points but selects them using Dr Tan's six-system framework.

Can the Balance Method treat conditions other than pain?

It can be applied to other conditions, but it is most strongly indicated for musculoskeletal and neurological pain.

How many sessions do I need?

For acute pain, 3–6 sessions often suffice. For chronic pain, 6–12 sessions is a more typical course, with maintenance treatment thereafter as needed.

To discuss whether Balance Method-style distal needling suits your pain pattern, contact me or book a consultation at my Wokingham clinic.

Related reading: About acupuncture | Master Tung's acupuncture | Dry needling | Acupuncture for pain