The Big Picture: Natnun Circuit 

It can be said that acupuncture has just two purposes – to remove a block on the Natnun Circuit or to bypass that block. Just when you thought you understood acupuncture, we throw another unfamiliar term at you, right? Well, even if you skip over everything else, be sure to pay attention here, because of all the terms this one is the most important.

The Natnun Circuit model explains how healing works in every situation, not just with acupuncture. Whether you heal through rest, food, medicine, or anything else, the natnun circuit is the mechanism behind your recovery. It truly is the big picture.

What is the Natnun Circuit? Simply put, the natnun is the sensing and healing circuit in your body. This model, developed by Dr. Moon, explains how the body deals with illness. (The term “natnun” comes from the Korean word that means “healing.”) The natnun circuit is made of four parts:

1. Symptom
2. Central regulating body (brain & spirit)
3.  Reporting circuit
4.  Responding circuit

A symptom is usually some form of pain, indicating that there is a problem in the body. The body part where the symptom occurs will send a message to the brain via the reporting circuit. Once the message arrives, you begin to feel pain. Then, the brain will send back a healing message through the responding circuit, completing the natnun circuit in a healthy body. Once the healing message arrives, the body begins to heal the problem and you no longer feel any pain.

But there is oftentimes a problem with the circuitry. Blockages in either the reporting or responding circuits will impair the body’s ability to heal itself. Generally, if you experience pain, that means there is something wrong — a fairly obvious conclusion. However, if you do not have pain, it does not necessarily follow that everything is OK. The table below has a listing of the possible situations. Situations 2a and 2b describe how even without pain there can be illness in the body: 

Pain (Symptom)	No Pain (Symptom free)
1. Problem: Reporting circuit open but Response circuit blocked	1. No problem = healthy body
	2a. Problem = blockage of Reporting circuit
	2b. Problem = No blockage, natnun circuit working perfectly. Healing has begun, but is not yet complete.

The natnun model can be confusing – an easier way to look at it is to think of your body as a small town.  (See diagram below.)  When you feel pain, your body is telling you there is something wrong. Think of that pain as a fire in your town. You discover the fire and call 911 to notify the fire department — the fire department is the equivalent of your brain. Calling 911 is what the reporting circuit does whenever a symptom occurs.

But think of what would happen if your phone didn’t work. Or if the fire department never got the message. Of course, the fire would continue to get worse. Similarly, if there is a blockage in the reporting circuit, your symptom will worsen.