Ancient Chinese Technique Helped Relieve Symptoms Of Millions

A Primer on Medical Acupuncture 

Have you ever had an uncontrollable urge to be pierced by a dozen needles?

This is the image most people get when someone mentions the word ìacupunctureî. It comes as no surprise that most view this technique with suspicion, even downright horror.

The fact is, however, that this relatively painless ancient Chinese technique has helped relieve the symptoms of millions of people. Properly used, it can help in the management of many medical conditions including chronic pain and fatigue.

How does needle puncture work?

Practitioners of Chinese traditional medicine believe in energy flows. This energy, called Qi, circulates around the body using pathways called meridians.

Meridians run very close to the surface of the skin in certain areas and can be accessed by needles. Much like plumbing, these pipes can get blocked or go the wrong way, causing health problems. The insertion of needles at these points is aimed to help loosen blocks and normalize flow.

It sounds like a made-up explanation with no basis in reality, but there are numerous scientific studies which support the effects of acupuncture. Although the exact scientific basis is still unknown, recent theories seem to suggest involvement of complicated neurochemical effects in the brain, nerve to spinal cord impulse modulation, and microscopic connective tissue changes.

What risks and side effects are of concern?

The use of things not completely understood for the treatment of medical conditions is nothing new.

Penicillin and aspirin were used for decades solely on the basis of their beneficial effects, without doctors knowing exactly how they worked. Results are what are truly important. However, it is equally important is to ensure that the technique is used safely.

Like other strategies used in treating health conditions, acupuncture may have some side effects. Medications have side effects and allergic reactions, surgeries have risk of infection and complications.

For needle puncture, there is a risk of injury, rare infections, minor bleeding, small bruises, and some dizziness.

You can minimize the possible side effects by choosing a licensed acupuncturist. Most countries either have government licensing in place or have professional organizations with very strict rules and regulations.

How do treatments go?

An acupuncturist will do an initial evaluation of your medical history and your bodyís current state. Multiple pressure points are palpated, and a regimen of treatment is formulated.

Most courses involve a series of 10 to 20 treatment sessions, each lasting 30 to 90 minutes. Needles will be carefully placed at the required points and kept in place for some time. Most patients report a feeling of mild sensation at the site of the puncture, but no real pain.

Right after each acupuncture session, you will feel a bit tired and may need to rest. Some people feel an increase in their energy levels. The response to acupuncture is very individual. In some cases there is immediate relief of symptoms.

For some patients, the beneficial effects may only be noticed after undergoing a few sessions. Do not be alarmed and keep your acupuncturist updated on what you are feeling to ensure everything is going as expected.

You need never fear the thought of needles ever again. Acupuncture is a beneficial treatment with a long history of effectiveness. It is used to complement current medical therapy and should not replace currently existing medications or treatments.

The safe application of this once exclusively Chinese therapy can now be experienced by chronic disease sufferers worldwide.

One Thing That Can Finally Manage Your Stress Levels

Today's world can fill the very busy individual with a lot of stress. Without some way of removing this stress from your system, you're placing yourself in danger from a lot of stress-related diseases. You might suffer from insomnia or headaches or very serious heart diseases.

It certainly couldn't hurt to try acupuncture if all you're after is stress relief.

You could take anti-stress pills to help you relax but, like me, you might also be worried about the side effects these pills could have. The good news is that you could try acupuncture at least once to see if it could help you manage the stress.

If you find it doesn't work for you, then you can just easily stop taking acupuncture treatments. If it works, though, then you can say you've found a good treatment for stress that doesn't rely on those dangerous chemicals and pills.

How does sticking needles into your body help manage the stress?

In traditional Chinese medicine, much of the treatments depend on an understanding of the balance in our bodies and its internal organs. The sicknesses we sometimes develop are seen to be caused by imbalances in our lifestyles and environment.

Stress is also affected by this imbalance. That is why when there is something wrong with your body, you'd typically have less of an ability to deal with stress. You'd get more irritable and find it really to difficult to relax.

By sticking these very thin needles past the surface of our skin, the acupuncturist stimulates nerves in our body. These nerves send signals to our brain and scientists believe that the brain then releases its natural painkillers into our system.

This immediately causes a feeling of relaxation for many people.

The needles could also help your body by stimulating its circulation. With the circulation between the organs of the body improved, a lot of the body's wastes could be cleansed properly.

Your organs would also receive the full benefit of the oxygen from your lungs making its way into the cells of your body without any blockages. This makes your organs much healthier and leaves you feeling much better in the long term as well.

Acupuncture Could Help You Finally Manage Your Stress Levels

You can think of a session with the acupuncturist as very much like massage therapy. A good massage would help give you a very relaxing sleep that night and an acupuncturist could help you with your sleep as well.

You might immediately start to feel drowsy as soon as the right nerves are stimulated by the acupuncturist's needles.

You might be asking yourself how you'd be able to relax if you're suffering from the pain of the needles attached to your body.

What you might not realize is that because of the thinness of the needles, you would hardly feel anything. The most that many people claim they feel is a kind of tingling feeling where the needles are. And that is actually a sign that the process is working,

Acupuncture is a practice that helps you use your bodies' own ability to manage stress properly. This leaves you healthier, and more importantly, prevents any of the serious diseases that could come from unbalanced, stressful lifestyles.

It might not be something to replace regular trips to the doctor but with its many possible benefits, acupuncture might be worth trying out very soon.

Should You Consider Acupuncture ?

Acupuncture can be used for anyone

Like anything else, there is a wide range of ways that you can practice acupuncture and you will find that when you are an acupuncturist that you have to be proficient with all of the techniques while specialize in one type of kind.

You should know that acupuncture is not right for everyone and not all techniques are right for everyone.

The acupuncturist will determine what is best for you and your ailments. You will find that this type of therapy can help you with stomachaches, headaches, arthritis, infertility, back pains, and certain diseases or conditions. You will find that it can help you with just about any time of pain and your pain can be corrected by the use of acupuncture.

If you think about acupuncture, you may think of it as a Traditional Chinese medicine. You will want to lye on your stomach for the entire procedure or at least sit in a comfortable chair.

Needles only slightly thicker than hairs are inserted into the body in multiple spots, called meridians, in order to help the energy flow of the body, called qi. Although most popular in the world overall and certainly within the United States, TCM acupuncture is not the only technique that can help you rid your body of bad energy flow.

Japanese acupuncturists have a slightly varied technique. When it comes to getting Japanese acupuncture, you will find that it can be less intrusive and rigorous, but you may also find it to be more pleasing and appealing. Use thinner or shorter needles many times. Japanese acupuncture also uses fewer needles in general.

Another technique is Korean hand acupuncture. This is a good type for those who have issues with sitting or lying for long periods. It is also a good way to begin acupuncture if the methods are at first a bit scary to you.

Korean hand acupuncture does not only target problems with the hands and fingers, such as arthritis. You will find that there are points on your hands that will affect the entire body. Learning these many points is an art, and so Korean hand acupuncturists are highly skilled professionals.

Another form of acupuncture that can be done in one bodily location for those who cannot have needles placed at all points on the body is called auricircular acupuncture. With this, the needles will be placed near your ears.

This is used very successfully in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

For those who have pain in their life, acupuncture can be a good way to help with your specific needs. You will want to make sure that the acupuncturists you will want to make sure that there techniques are good for you.

A Quick-Start guide to Acupuncture

Using needles to adjust bodily functions to optimum levels is the principle behind acupuncture. Both ancient Chinese and modern Western practitioners have used this technique to relieve many sufferers of chronic disease.

Needling is a relatively safe, beneficial treatment strategy that can be used to reduce pain, improve healing, and increase general well-being.

But exactly how is this procedure done and what sort of benefits can be obtained?

Procedure for Needle Puncture

There are two broad categories of acupuncture practice today, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and medical acupuncture.

Both have their merits, so the choice is individual. The decision for most people hinges upon which philosophy appeals more to them and which technique holds the least apprehension.

In TCM, practitioners adhere to the concept of Qi, or energy flow, and the meridians in which they travel.

They use longer needles and insert them deeper in order to reach the acupuncture points. Modern science has found little evidence to prove the existence of these energy channels, but this is the technique that has been used effectively for thousands of years.

In medical acupuncture, the practitioners are graduates of western medical schools.

Their application of needles is not based on the traditional acupuncture points, but on anatomic data. These acupuncturists use shorter needles and the insertions are shallower.

They also tend to use fewer needles and leave them inserted for shorter periods of time. Adherents to TCM feel this is a watered-down version of the real thing.

Nevertheless, many patients have felt relief of symptoms through this method.

Conditions for Puncture Application

There is a broad and extensive list of ailments which can be treated with acupuncture. The conditions run the gamut from asthma to constipation, anxiety to weight loss.

Most TCM practitioners believe that any health condition results from an imbalance in Qi flow, therefore amenable to needle therapy.

Western acupuncturists tend to have a more limited list of indications, the most common of which is undoubtedly control of pain.

Control of pain is the most well researched of all of the indications for acupuncture. There is a definite beneficial effect for a majority of patients using this method.

Migraines, premenstrual syndrome, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuralgias are but a few examples.

The theory behind its effectiveness is also medically accepted and well researched, called the gate-control theory of pain.

It states that the needles can stimulate nerves so that they block the impulses from pain triggers.

Expected Puncture Session Result

It is important to emphasize that acupuncture is used only on top of existing medical therapy.

At no time should a patient discontinue medication or ignore medical instructions in favor of needle puncture.

After undergoing a needle puncture regimen, the primary care physician can make an evaluation with regards to decreasing dependence on other therapies.

A course of acupuncture therapy will last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. This depends upon the complexity of the particular medical condition.

Results also vary, so it is important to have a frank discussion with the acupuncturist regarding expected results and their time frame.

In general, the patient will begin to feel beneficial effects after three or four session. Certain specific conditions will actually get a little worse before improving so keeping informed is key.

In modern medicine, the use of traditional techniques with proven results has become a widely accepted practice.

Acupuncture has proven its worth time and again. Modern practice guidelines make it effective, reproducible, and safe.

It is a gift of healing from ancient sages that has the potential to bring relief to millions of people.