Acupuncture What is it? Acupuncture- “needle piercing” in Chinese, is an ancient form of treatment, a system of healing where very tiny needles are inserted into the skin to stimulate acupoints in order to balance, unblock, and stimulate the flow of Qi to restore health. So, as to understand acupuncture more, one should become more familiar with the basic concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese philosophy. Acupoints- are more than 360 acupuncture points in human body, located along the paths of 12 meridians and are thought to link to nerve junctions in other parts of the body. It’s a very complex network among these channels- meridians and acupoints, which link the internal organs in our bodies. Needles are inserted in these places to simulate, increase, decrease and unblock the flow of Qi and blood. How does it work? The acupoints are stimulated by inserting the acupuncture needles to balance the movement of Qi in the body to re-establish health. It’s still not entirely clear how does the acupuncture work. The needling process, which is used in acupuncture, produces complex effects on an extensive variety of ways in the brain and the body by stimulating the nerves in the skin and muscles, it appears to increase blood circulation and body temperature, regulate our immune system, and reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Acupuncture is thought to transmit its effects via electric, neurological, and electromagnetic wave paths. When needles are inserted into the acupoints, the body releases natural pain killing substances, known as endorphins, which enter into the nerve paths of the brain and spinal cord and help to relieve pain in the related part of the body. An acupuncturist uses the same TCM diagnosis methods as any other Chinese doctor, as acupuncture is a part of Chinese medicine. After setting a diagnosis, patient is asked to lie down on an acupuncture table, and very tiny needles are inserted, sometimes using slight twirling movements, which are one of acupuncture techniques. During the process the patient might experience a slight numbing pain, which stops after the needles are completely inserted. For individual conditions, an acupuncturist will use electro- acupuncture in which the needles are connected to an electrical device and a weak current is run through them, causing the needles to vibrate and produce a mild tingling sensation. In some cases the practitioner will use laser, heat, friction etc. to achieve better curative results. How long are the treatments? The number and time of acupuncture treatments one needs depends on the complexity of patient’s condition, whether it's a chronic or acute. The usual time for a single treatment is from 20 to 50 minutes. In acute conditions 3- 5 treatments should be sufficient, where chronic conditions may need up to 30 treatments or even longer. It’s optimal to have 2 – 3 treatments weekly to get good results. What is acupuncture good for? In the past 50 years acupuncture has become a popular and well- known form of medicine and useful part of treatment all over the world. Recent studies show that acupuncture can treat more than 400 different kinds of health conditions and diseases and can be safely combined with other forms of treatments. There are no side effects to acupuncture, and it is a non-invasive form of treatment. Acupuncture is very effective for both acute and chronic conditions such as pains, nausea, vomiting, headaches, addictions, asthma, bronchitis, sore throat, hypertension, constipation, diarrhea, facial tics, irregular periods, PMS, menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps, osteoarthritis, sinusitis, IBS, stroke rehabilitation, cerebral palsy, sports injuries, strains, sprains, tennis elbow, allergies, sciatica, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), ulcers, infertility, endometriosis, memory problems, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, sensory disturbances, depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders. |
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