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Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture, is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical techniques in the world, originating in China more than 3,000 years ago. Over 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body connect with 14 major pathways, called meridians. Chinese medicine practitioners believe these meridians conduct qi, or energy, between the surface of the body and internal organs. It is qi that regulates spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance. When the flow of qi is disrupted, through poor health habits or other circumstances, pain and/or disease can result. Acupuncture acts to keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked.

The intent of acupuncture is to stimulate the body, release energy blocks, and reestablish normal equilibrium, thereby facilitating the body's natural ability to heal itself. In the last 40 years, Chinese and Western studies have suggested that the insertion of needles at acupuncture points helps release some chemical neurotransmitters in the body, including endorphins. Endorphins are the body's own extremely powerful, natural painkillers which relieve pain and bring about a sense of well being.

Acupuncture involves the insertion of hair-thin, disposable metal needles through the skin in points on the body's meridians. Acupuncture needles are solid, usually made of stainless steel, and are extremely flexible. The small diameter and contoured shape of the acupuncture needle allows it to be inserted easily and painlessly a few millimeters into the skin. Acupuncture affects people differently, leaving some energized while others feel relaxed. Acupuncture needles can also be stimulated with pressure, heat, friction or electromagnetic impulses to further activate a person's qi.

Having an Acupuncture Treatment:

During the first consultation, the practitioner aims to determine the nature of the disharmony in the patient's mind/body by careful questioning and observation. A detailed understanding is required of the patient's symptoms, past medical and family history, lifestyle and diet, behavior of all the systems in the body such as digestion and circulation, sleep patterns, and emotional feelings. Diagnosis may also include examination of the tongue for its structure, color and coating and of the pulses at the wrists, which are felt for their quality, rhythm and strength.

What the practitioner is looking for is not symptoms in isolation, but rather a pattern into which is woven a total picture of the patient. Having decided on the cause or causes of the problem, the points and appropriate method of treatment are selected according to various rules governing the movement of Qi ("Chee") in the body. During acupuncture treatment, needles are either inserted for a second or two or left in place for up to 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the effect required. During this time there may be a heavy sensation in the limbs and a pleasant feeling of relaxation.

What Aspects of Illness Can be Treated by Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is perhaps best known for its efficiency in relieving pain. Modern medical research attributes this in part to acupuncture's power to increase the body's level of endorphin in the bloodstream. Acupuncture stimulates the body to produce its own morphine-like substance to alleviate pain. Nerve impulses are normalized and balanced because of the interconnection of the acupuncture points and the central nervous systems, thus suppressing pain. To think of acupuncture only in terms of relieving pain is to take too narrow a view of its potential uses, and to overlook its successes in the treatment of organic and stress-related disorders.

Acupuncture can affect any disease or disorder as long as the body is functioning and no organ has been destroyed. Obviously it cannot heal a broken bone. Modern surgery is indeed a miracle, offering us skin grafts, plastic joints, and artificial valves and limbs when the originals have been irreparably damaged. However, it is difficult for human beings to find spare parts and even when they are available, the body often rejects them. Acupuncture, on the other hand, works to improve the quality and function of the organs we still have. Experiential evidence points to acupuncture's ability to alleviate the symptoms common to organic disorders by strengthening the body's natural resistance and its immune systems. After acupuncture treatment, there is an increase in the levels of white blood cells and increase in the levels of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Globulins. It is believed that Alpha and Beta Globulins help white blood cells to fight infection. Gamma Globulins are associated with the production of immune antibodies.

Here are a few of the conditions acupuncture treats:

Toothache, Allergic Rhinitis, Dysmenorrhea, Amenorrhea, PMS, Acute and Chronic Back Pain, Neck Pain, Joint Pain, Headache, Sciatica, Sore Throat, Eye Conditions and Diseases, Deafness, Ringing in Ears, Mental Illness, Chronic Fatigue, Infertility, Carpal Tunnel, Asthma, Bell's Palsy, Vertigo, Acne.

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