Acupuncture treatment in Japanese style is delivered in two different kinds or steps: Honchiho (root treatment) and Hyochiho (symptom control). Generally, patients come to the clinic with presentation of some symptoms, such as: headache, general fatigue, feverish, or leg/shoulder/joint pain. They come to the clinic for healing. But what kind of healing they need? symptom relief only or restoring their body into perfect balance and health?
As a Doctor and Acupuncturist, is my duty to educate the patient that disease is a process, same with healing, healing is also a process. More chronic the illness is, more time is needed for complete healing. It is just not simply of symptom relief. Symptom is only the sound of the alarm ring, but we need to extinguish the fire. This is why Root Treatment (Honchiho) and Symptom Control (Hyochiho) are equally important.
While Root Treatment (Honchiho) seeks to address the imbalances in the patient, to discover the problem of Qi and Blood circulation, Local Treatment or Symptom Control (Hyochiho) addresses symptomatic relief of patient's complaints.
Theoritically speaking, when we are successful to identify and correct the roots problems (the imbalances in our 12 meridians and organs), the whole system will self-correct and various symptoms in our body are healed.
In Manaka Acupuncture, step 1-3 is Root Treatment (Honchiho), and step 4 is Symptomatic control (Hyochiho). In my personal experience doing Manaka, usually after the step 3 finished, the symptom has already 80-90% less, and it's often i skip the step 4.