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What is Acupuncture?
The intent of acupuncture therapy is to promote health and alleviate pain and suffering.
The method by which this is accomplished, though it may seem strange and mysterious to many, has been time tested over thousands of years and continues to be validated today. The perspective from which an Acupuncturist views health and sickness hinges on concepts of "vital energy," "energetic balance" and "energetic imbalance." Just as the Western medical doctor monitors the blood flowing through blood vessels and the messages traveling via the nervous system, the Acupuncturist assesses the flow and distribution of this "vital energy" within its pathways, known as "meridians and channels".
The Acupuncturist is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain areas along these "meridians". Traditionally these areas or "acupoints" were stimulated by fine, slender needles.
Today, many additional forms of stimulation are incorporated, including herbs, electricity, magnets and lasers. Still, the aim remains the same - adjust the "vital energy" so the proper amount reaches the proper place at the proper time. This helps your body heal itself.
Acupuncture is just one form of therapy used within the coherent system of healing known as Oriental Medicine. Oriental Medicine includes herbology, physical therapy, dietetics and special exercises (such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong) and is a complete medical system unto itself and is not another branch of modern Western medicine.
Acupuncture evolved from principles and philosophies unique to Oriental thinking and Oriental Medicine, and is most effectively applied when done in accordance with those principles.
The World Health Organisation endorses the use of acupuncture for the following conditions:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Arthritis
Asthma
Back Pain
Aches and Pains
Circulatory Conditions
Facial Paralysis
Infertility
Menstrual Problems
Migraines
Sciatica
Skin Conditions
Ulcers
However, other people may have Acupuncture as a preventive measure to strengthen their constitution, or because they feel unwell in themselves without having an identified illness. It can also be used alongside conventional medicine in the treatment of both acute and chronic disease. As with any therapy, the response to Acupuncture can vary from one person to another.
Acupuncture Side Effects
When performed by a properly trained and licensed practitioner, Acupuncture is safe and effective, free from adverse or addictive side effects. Quite often, a sense of relaxation and well-being occurs during and after treatments. While undergoing therapy for one ailment, other problems may resolve concurrently. This is a common side benefit that again demonstrates the value of balancing the quality and quantity of "vital energy" within the entire person.
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Most people who have had Acupuncture would describe it as virtually painless or far less painful than plucking out a hair. The sensations that follow range from nothing at all to mild tingling, to slight numbness/achiness, to electrical pulsations in areas distant from the site of insertion. All these sensations usually subside once the needles are removed. The needles used for Acupuncture are much smaller that the standard hypodermic needle, do not draw blood and are solid, not hollow.
What is Treatment Like?
Most patients would say, "relaxing." Usually patients leave in less discomfort and are more functional than when they walked in. Sometimes the effects are too subtle to perceive, especially in the beginning of treatment. Yet after 5 to 10 treatments the improvements become more and more apparent.
Acupuncture Mechanisms of Action
Several processes have been proposed to explain Acupuncture's effects, primarily those on pain. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either change the experience of pain or release other chemicals, such as hormones, that influence the body's self-regulating systems. The biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.
There are Three Main Mechanisms:
Conduction of Electromagnetic Signals:
Western scientists have found evidence that acupuncture points are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating points along these pathways through Acupuncture enables electromagnetic signals to be relayed at a greater rate than under normal conditions. These signals may start the flow of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and of immune system cells to specific sites in the body that are injured or vulnerable to disease.
Activation of Opioid Systems:
Research has found that several types of opioids may be released into the central nervous system during Acupuncture treatment, thereby reducing pain.
Changes in Bbrain Chemistry, Sensation and Involuntary Body Functions:
Studies have shown that Acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. Acupuncture also has been documented to affect the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions such as immune reactions and processes whereby a person's blood pressure, blood flow and body temperature are regulated.
Preclinical studies have documented Acupuncture's effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how Acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine.
Acupuncture is a safe treatment for all.
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