Acupuncture is considered a holistic treatment and a part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been practiced in Asia for at least 3000 years. Being holistic nature, acupuncture treats conditions of the physical, emotional, mental as well as the spiritual side of the individual. It treats the symptoms of the disease, the root of the disease and prevents disease recurrence.
The Chinese call the energy that brings life to the individual Qi or chi. Chi is the underlying concept of TCM. The latter devote its time and knowledge into treating the negative factors that influence chi flow and energy in the body. Chi is the prime factor that determines one’s physical and emotional well being. When the balance of this energy is disrupted, disease then sets in. Chi flows through a network of pathways called meridians. The meridians can be accessed through sites in the skin called acupuncture points or acupoints located all over the body. When an imbalance occurs, this means that chi has stagnated in one of the meridians due to a blockage there. Acupuncturists resort to acupuncture to remove the blockage and restore the energy balance of the body. To restore the balance, needles are introduced at certain acupoints. The body then begins to recover and heals itself with a little help from acupuncture.
Besides treating them, the acupuncturist also recommends his/her patients to actively involve themselves in their own healing by lifestyle recommendations designed to enhance their well-being.
Acupuncture very efficiently treats various kinds of illnesses and their symptoms. Some conditions which acupuncture ably cures are sciatica and many types of back pains, morning sickness, post child delivery illness, hemorrhoids, constipation, neuralgia, headaches, tinnitus, asthma neck, and joint pain, rheumatism, arthritis, stress caused illnesses, depression and anxiety to mention just some.
The better part of the pre treatment procedure is querying the patient regarding his/her health problems and lifestyle. Afterwards, the pulse is checked, tongue analyzed and sometimes urine samples are collected for the acupuncturist to smell and observe. These procedures will help the acupuncturist ably formulate a diagnosis. When diagnosis is made, selected acupoints are then treated with hair thin needles. The application of the needles is relatively painless; the only sensation to be felt at that time is a slight sensation when the needles are placed into the skin. This feeling merely lasts a few seconds and shows that the needles are rightly placed to influence chi flow.
The needles are allowed to stay in place for 20 minutes or more. The treatment then becomes a pleasant experience as the effect of the treatment begins to take effect. Many patients feel relaxed, calm or euphoric and some even feel revitalized. After a few days after treatment, changes in the health of the person becomes noticeable as the energy flow starts to normalize gradually restoring the patient back to health.
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