By: Franchis

Acupuncture, which originated in China, is a way of adjusting the body’s “life energy” (qi or chi) flow. It involves the insertion of fine needles into carefully selected acupuncture points along the meridians (energetic pathways) of the body. Points are selected on the basis of pulse and tongue diagnosis, observation, and questioning. The points affect the meridian system. Each meridian has a specific effect on a specific body system or organ of the body. Needles are inserted on the points and then manipulated, either by twirling or by a gentle pumping action. This removes blockages or stimulates energy flow. Stagnant energy can be dispersed and the whole energy flow regulated (too much energy in one area adjusted and too little stimulated). Acupuncture can be used to relieve symptoms as well as to promote general health and well-being.

Related Forms of Treatment

Moxibustion and cupping are two forms of treatment that are closely related to acupuncture. Both rely on the meridian or channel theory and treat selected points along the meridians. In moxibustion, preparations of the herb moxa (mugwort) are burned close to the skin to have a warming effect. When this is used in conjunction with acupuncture, the moxa is burned on the needles to intensify their effect. Moxa sticks can also be held above the skin and burned. When moxa is burned it becomes extremely hot, and great care is always taken by the practitioner. In cupping, a vacuum is created by burning tapers in purpose-made glass or bamboo cups. The cups are quickly placed on acupuncture points on the body and the vacuum creates suction that draws blood to the surface. Acupuncture is often performed in conjunction with either moxibustion or cupping.

Acupuncture needles are made of stainless steel, silver, or gold and are either disposable or rigorously sterilized. The needles vary in diameter and length according to the area of the body where they are to be used. Longer, thicker needles are used in “padded” areas such as the buttocks, and finer, shorter ones where the flesh is thin and close to the bone (as on the forehead). The thinnest are not much thicker than a human hair. The needles are inserted into the skin at varying depths. They are sometimes simply left in place, but usually they are gently manipulated to remove blockages and enhance the flow of chi along the meridians either by lifting the needle, or by rotation, flicking, or stroking.

Acupuncture is one of the most widely practiced and accepted form of natural medicine in the world today. There are over 500,000 acupuncturists in China, over 50,000 in Japan, over 6,000 in the United States, and around 10,000 in Europe. Acupuncture is used for the relief of common ailments, for the prevention of disease, for health promotion for anesthesia, for some symptoms of pregnancy, and in childbirth.

Western Forms

“Scientific acupuncture” is a Western adaptation that rejects the theories underlying Chinese medicine assumes that in theory acupuncture can be explained inl terms of ordinary scientific anatomy and physiology. Tender points have long been known to be associated with pain in relatively distant parts of the body, anal massage of these points was known to cure the pain Acupuncture points are compared to these trigger points.

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Acupuncture, Is It A Safe Alternative?

by Abbey Grace Yap

Among Asian countries, acupuncture is a very popular alternative pain relief means. It has been slowly gaining a following in western countries. Although there is a lack of scientific evidence to explain the efficacy of this treatment, people in the medical field are suggesting this form of treatment to their patients..

Acupuncture is an ancient Asian medicinal art devised 5,000 years ago that involves the use of thin, cylindrical needles that are inserted into specific portions of the body called acupuncture points. Acupuncture points are said to be scattered all over the body and corresponds to different parts of the body. The aim of using acupuncture is to restore health and well-being. Acupuncture is also said to reduce pain and/or induce anesthesia.

Licensed acupuncturists explain that when the needle is inserted into an acupuncture point, there is an increase in blood flow to the area. Meridians along the acupuncture points in the body are stimulated as the blood flows around the body. Acupuncture has been proven effective for a number of ailments including: nausea, chronic pain especially in the lower back area, neck pain and headaches. However, acupuncturists are unsure as to how this helps alleviate pain, they find that when they insert needles in certain acupuncture points, the pain goes away. It is because of this lack of explanation that some health professionals raise eyebrows on this form of alternative pain relief method.

There are several ways that acupuncture works to reduce chronic pain. One is to work through the meridians, and increase certain energy centers in the body. As an example, if someone has chronic pain, we would want to stimulate the kidney centres in the body; kidney meridians. If someone has a specific musculoskeletal pain, let’s say just a spot in the shoulder, we may want to inject just a couple of needles touching each other, and use electrostimulation to reduce inflammation in that area.

Acupuncture is a generally safe treatment to administer to a patient’s body. It has a very low risk profile and a particularly high success rate. However, the biggest risk factor lies on the person performing the procedure. The acupuncture practitioner must be well-trained and licensed to work on 1a patient. They must know where the acupuncture points are in order to know where the needles should be strategically inserted. If an untrained person inserts a needle into the spinal cord, or the lungs, there is bound to be a problem to come up.

Unlike other pain reduction and pain management treatments, acupuncture is fairly non-invasive and non-habit forming. It requires no prescription medications which may cause dependence if used continuously in high doses. Unlike surgery, you don’t have to be cut open during the procedure, and bleeding is very minimal. Not only does it alleviate pain, it also increases the body’s energy level by stimulating the meridian points. It brings the body into homeostasis and allows people to feel better with very little to no pain at all.

The writer, Abbey Grace Yap, is an active advocate for health consciousness and disease awareness. She posseses a deep passion in discovering new health-related information and sharing it to her readers. Choose Variety of High Quality Medicines at Online Medicines Enjoyed Reading this article? More here: Pharmacy Articles

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Making Use Of Science To Establish Chinese Medicine by John Philips

Despite the fact that Chinese medicine has been adopted as an efficient practice for thousands of years, Western scientific reasoning continues to question whether this is a justifiable system to assist with healing. Regardless of this most Western medicine doctors would agree with the declarations that qigong sustains health by promoting restfulness and movement, that acupuncture soothes discomfort by energizing the production of neurotransmitters, or that Chinese herbal medicines may involve dominant biochemical agents were.

If you are fascinated in Chinese medicine, but are uncertain of its potency, you can inspect the different research studies that have helped many to reach resolutions with reference to its potential. Chinese medicine customs are alleged by numerous to be extremely efficient, sometimes affording minimum sufficiency where the supreme studies of Western medicine fail, above all for standard ailments like allergies and flu, and managing to evade the toxicity of many chemically encompassing medicines.

The most debated science between East and West whether acupuncture has a value as a medical practise. It is mostly admitted to be safe accordant to input gained by means of medical investigation. At this moment, the research studies have not indicated any comprehensive inferences with reference to whether acupuncture might be imagined a science. Likewise, probing indicates that the value of acupuncture is accomplished in treatment. Scientists have similarly noted that seeing that the treatment is innocent, it may well be used, and just requires to have further examinations related to it.

Additional study is likely to reveal more fields where acupuncture practice will be effective. Another debate that has been examined by Western scientists is herbal drugs that are employed according to acknowledged Chinese treatment methods. While a number of these have not been examined, additional parts of the herbs are adopted in pharmaceutical treatments that are prescribed to patients.

Ephedra, wormwood and artemisinin are a few examples of archaic medications that have been interfaced into Western treatment according to Chinese philopsophies. Chinese herbal medicine includes scores of compounds which are unused by Western treatment, and there is outstanding curiosity in those compounds besides the ideologies which Chinese medication practitioners use to unearth which combination to prescribe.

Taking into consideration the thousand-year progression of Chinese medicine, it is likely herbs were firstly selected for misguided reasons and merely those that really proved worthwhile have survived in principle. One common factor that Western research shows, with the numerous concepts of Chinese medication, is that the treatments are reliable. All of the studies imply that even though the drugs are not scientifically substantiated, they have not been proved injurious to one’s health with few side effects.

As this is a substantiated point to the holistic methods, most scientists will also state that it is only a lack of study of the medicine that is employed in Chinese philosophies that is missing. According to the dogmas to the science, Chinese medication is a deliberated concept in Western society.

Evaluations in the concepts that have been used and dissected over time have increased. By way of the different methods of Chinese medicine to the regular worth considered by many who are looking for holistic health, Chinese treatment is becoming respected in modern society.

Access more information about Chinese medicine by visiting www.chinese-healing.info an accepted website that provides advice and satisfies your curiostity about this alternative medicine
You can get a unique content version of this article.

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