What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient healing art that originated in
China thousands of years ago. It involves the placement of small
needles through the skin at
defined locations that induce a change in the body’s natural healing
and pain relief mechanisms.
What is Medical Acupuncture?
Medical acupuncture is the term used to describe acupuncture
performed by a physician trained and licensed in Western medicine who
has also had thorough training in acupuncture as a specialty practice.
Such a doctor can use one or the other approach, or a combination of
both as the need arises, to treat an illness.
Medical acupuncture treatments
often involve the use of small electrical stimulation devices that
induce a small current between needles. This creates a light
tingling, or tapping sensation. The strength of the stimulation
is adjusted to the patient’s comfort.
How does acupuncture work?
The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy
run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These
energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the
body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the
movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up in others.
The meridians can be influenced by needling the acupuncture points; the
acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions at the dams, and
reestablish the regular flow through the meridians. Acupuncture
treatments can therefore help the body's internal organs to correct
imbalances in their digestion, absorption, and energy production
activities, and in the circulation of their energy through the
meridians.
The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture
points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the
muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the
experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals
and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system.
The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture
results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities, and in
promoting physical and emotional well-being.
What can acupuncture be used for?
Medical acupuncture is a system which can influence three
areas of health care:
- promotion of health and well-being
- prevention of illness
- treatment of various medical conditions
While acupuncture is often associated with pain control, in
the hands of a well-trained practitioner it has much broader
applications. Acupuncture can be effective as the only treatment
used,
or as the support or adjunct to other medical treatment forms in many
medical and surgical disorders. The World Health Organization
recognizes
the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of medical
problems, including:
- Digestive
disorders: gastritis and hyperacidity, spastic colon,
constipation, diarrhea.
- Respiratory disorders:
sinusitis, sore throat, bronchitis, asthma, recurrent chest infections.
- Neurological and
muscular disorders: headaches, neck pain, back pain, frozen
shoulder,
osteoarthritis.
- Urinary,
menstrual, and reproductive problems.
Acupuncture is particularly useful in resolving
physical problems related to tension, stress and emotional conditions.
Copyright 2009 Jessica
Davis MD
