Matthew Epps, MAcOM

NyonAcupuncture.com

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nyon since 2004.

neuroscience

6 posts

The Predictive Body: Chinese Medicine Through the Lens of Active Inference

The Predictive Body: Chinese Medicine Through the Lens of Active Inference

May 18, 2026

chinese medicine (4)·FEP (1)·neuroscience (6)·theory (4)

In this post we will continue to bridge the classical frameworks of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CM) with the cutting-edge neuroscience of the Free Energy Principle (FEP) and Active Inference. For thousands of years, Chinese Medicine has utilized a highly sophisticated, systems-based language to describe human health and disease. Today, modern theoretical biology and cognitive neuroscience… Continue reading The Predictive Body: Chinese Medicine Through the Lens of Active Inference

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Your Brain is Inventing You: 4 Scientific Truths That Redefine Reality

Your Brain is Inventing You: 4 Scientific Truths That Redefine Reality

October 23, 2025

acupuncture (15)·body awareness (1)·chinese medicine (4)·interoception (3)·mindfulness (2)·neuroscience (6)·qi (3)

Do you believe you see the world as it truly is? Do you think you know why you feel happy or angry? For centuries, we’ve operated under the assumption that our senses are clear windows to the world and our emotions are primal, universal reactions. But modern neuroscience is dismantling these fundamental beliefs, revealing a… Continue reading Your Brain is Inventing You: 4 Scientific Truths That Redefine Reality

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Book Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine

Qi and the Science of Interoception: Ancient Pathways to Modern Awareness

October 20, 2025

acupuncture (15)·chinese medicine (4)·interoception (3)·mindfulness (2)·neuroscience (6)·qi (3)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept of Qi (氣) represents far more than a mystical life force. It is a language of continuity—a way to describe how breath, emotion, food, and the natural world move through and connect all living things. Recent neuroscience, meanwhile, is beginning to rediscover this internal awareness under a new… Continue reading Qi and the Science of Interoception: Ancient Pathways to Modern Awareness

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Interoception and Acupuncture: Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Neuroscience

June 7, 2025

acupuncture (15)·interoception (3)·moral psychology (1)·neuroscience (6)·research (5)

A recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience reveals a compelling link between interoceptive awareness—our ability to perceive internal bodily sensations—and moral decision-making. Researchers found that individuals with heightened interoceptive awareness tend to make moral choices aligning with societal norms, even in complex ethical dilemmas without clear right or wrong answers. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/23/e1114242025 This study… Continue reading Interoception and Acupuncture: Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Neuroscience

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man riding white surfboard

Neural circuitry: latent, passive, and active acupoints

May 29, 2023

acupuncture (15)·neuroscience (6)·pain (3)·research (5)

To continue the series of posts based on quotes from the text Biomedical Acupuncture for Pain Management, let us discuss the concept of qualifying acupuncture points as “latent”, “passive”, or “active”. Latent points are those which are not at all tender to a patient (normal tissue state), passive points are those that when palpated with… Continue reading Neural circuitry: latent, passive, and active acupoints

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person putting needle on the hand of the patient

Exploring the Significance of Acupoint He Gu (Large Intestine 4): Bridging Traditional Acupuncture and Modern Neuroscience

May 24, 2023

acupuncture (15)·biomedical (3)·neuroscience (6)·pain management (2)·theory (4)

I have begun reading a new text book, and I thought I would make a series of posts to highlight some interesting quotes: An interesting neurologic fact is that the limbs below the elbows and knees occupy largerareas in the sensory gyrus in the brain. Therefore the acupoints below the elbows and knees also occupy… Continue reading Exploring the Significance of Acupoint He Gu (Large Intestine 4): Bridging Traditional Acupuncture and Modern Neuroscience

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