Acupuncture - You're Not Sticking Me With That! | Acupuncture

By ScottGoodman
Total views: 1
Word Count: 506

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing technique and acupressure have a great deal in common. Both these techniques use the energy paths in the body to make health possible by stimulating the flow of energy. It is brought down to a simplistic explanation of getting the Qi or Chi to flow without any blockage through the human body in order to maintain a state of good health. There are 365 points in the body that acupuncturists recognize and these are along the 14 meridians or energy paths.

When specially designed needles or acupressure are placed at certain locations on the meridians the blocks are released thus enabling the chi to circulate freely. Acupuncture is a procedure in which the blocks are freed in the same manner in which obstructions are removed from a river, helping the water flow smoothly. Chi may also flow either too quickly or too slowly, in which case acupuncture is used to regulate the stream of energy.

The needles were found in the late Shang Dynasty archeological digs and it can be seen that for at least 4000 years China has been practicing this type of medicine. Traditional Yin/Yang theory, Western or medical acupuncture and Five Elements are the three types of acupuncture. Each of these three types of acupuncture use diagnostic methods that are very similar and the exact same points system - however, they all take a completely different approach to illness's underlying causes and their treatment.

Chinese medicine believes that any form of physical illness is the outcome of stress and anxiety. The five element acupuncture also follows the same belief - the physical well being of a person is dependent on his psychological well being. Following along with all of this, the physical symptoms are only able to be alleviated when all of that inner stress has been dealt with. Since the main emphasis within the five elements theory focuses on treating an illness's underlying cause, one should realize that it can be a very slow process in order to reach a complete recovery even though it is quite possible. The old yin/yang theory of acupuncture mainly concentrates in bringing back the entire balance of the yin and yang in the human body. More than one energy meridian is stimulated at a given time to trigger more than one element simultaneously.

The Western Acupuncture methods are faster and the period of treatment is not very long - this form of treatment is a combination of both western and eastern practices. There are two sub-categories of the medical aspect, the first, anesthetic acupuncture, is used in surgical and dental procedures. Again it is used as a temporary pain reliever or as an analgesic for immediate effect. Well documented, reliable medical research has shown acupuncture to be successful in treating high blood pressure and migraines, allergies, depression, arthritis, asthma and gynecological problems including infertility. Acupuncture has been very successful in treating illnesses that do not go away with normal medication; it has also helped in treating psychological disorders that are related to a person's wellbeing.

About the Author

You can find many more Acupuncture and related articles at Acupuncture Weight Loss

You are here Articles > Health > Alternative Medicine > Acupuncture