Luthiers are makers, restorers and dealers of stringed instruments such as the violin and cello. To be successful in business he or she is required to have a keen ear for the instrument and a physician’s diagnostic skill for analyzing what may be wrong with it.

One leading luthier, Etienne Vatelot of France, believes there is a tonality that fits the violinist’s personality. Etienne listens to the violinist in concert to feel the vibration of the string that reflects the personality of the performer. His reputation brings musicians from around the world, including Isaac Stern, to finely tune and bring back to life their violin or cello. Each Stradivarius or Guarnerius has its unique sound and personality that only a master luthier like Vatelot can feel, hear and understand.

I have been evaluating acupuncture meridians on my patients for over 10 years. Sometimes I feel like I am a violin tuner or luthier when I evaluate my patients. When I use the Acupuncture Meridian Assessment equipment, it is as if I am listening to a unique sound signature and identifying the string that has been out of tune which we call sickness. It seems that healing is correcting the strings that have been out of tune.

Some people require much more extensive bodywork like the damaged body of a violin. For those, a proper sequence of repair of the body may be necessary before the fine tuning of the meridian and energy flow of the body. Identifying and prioritizing the problems and the proper sequence of correcting the underlying problems are crucial for the proper tuning of the “violin”, i.e. body, and healing of the body/mind/spirit. See my articles on “Acupuncture Meridian Assessment.”

Imagine your body is a fine musical instrument like a violin. A violin has four strings which must be finely tuned before you can play beautiful music. Each violin has a unique sound signature. The full potential of the sound of the string is expressed by daily practice of the individual practitioner. Tuning the violin strings does not mean you will automatically play beautiful music. Balancing the acupuncture meridians does not automatically heal your body. You need to continue to practice which includes a positive attitude, eating right, exercising and living in harmony with the environment. The environment includes your family, friends, job, and to the larger extent, the world we live in.

The violin can be played solo, duet, trio, quartet or in a symphony with other instruments. I try to fix the broken strings and tune the violin like a luthier. However, it is up to you how much you want to practice and how well you want to play. The luthier cannot play a violin for you and the physician cannot heal for you. Healing comes from within. We all have the potential to play our own beautiful strings like Isaac Stern whether you are a violin or a cello. However, don’t forget that we live in symphony with other instruments. Moreover, don’t forget who your concert maestro is!