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Acupuncture
Acupuncture literally means 'needle piercing’. The practice of inserting very
fine needles into the skin to arouse specific points in the body, called acu-points,
for therapeutic purposes is a basic definition of acupuncture. Acupuncture is
thought to have started in ancient China, possibly as long as 4,000 years ago.
The intention of acupuncture therapy is to promote health and alleviate pain
and suffering. The perspective from which an acupuncturist views health and
sickness hinges on concepts of vital energy (chi), energetic balance
(yang) and energetic imbalance (Yin).
An acupuncturist assesses the flow and distribution of vital energy within
pathways, known as meridians and channels. Stimulating certain areas along these
meridians can influence health and sickness.
Acupuncture involves theories on pain, disease, philosophy and different areas
of the body. There are a variety of theories that attempt to explain the mechanism
and one theory is that acupuncture represents a type of counter-pain where if
pain is created in one part of the body then pain experienced in another part
of the body is not noticed.
The disease aspect of acupuncture falls into two main groups:
- Diseases of the channels and collaterals
- Diseases of the zang and fu organs
Point Selection is also important in acupuncture with the placement of the
needle being dependant on the location of the disease.
There are five elements in traditional Chinese philosophy: wood, fire, earth,
metal and water.
Wood is represented by the liver and gall bladder; water the kidney and urinary
bladder; fire the heart and small intestine; earth the spleen and stomach; and
metal the lung and large intestine. A cycle of creation and destruction rages
for these five elements.
The idea behind acupuncture is that each channel has a point on it that represents
each of the five elements.
Acupuncture is generally performed with a needle, which must be sterilized
properly before being used, so that there is no possibility of transmitting
any diseases.
It is important to remember that the piece of skin into which you insert the
needle is relatively unimportant as long as the needle stimulates the acupuncture
point.
The needle can be inserted in several different ways but always keep in mind
that the acupuncture point has been stimulated only if the needling sensation
is felt as the actual acupuncture point is always underneath the skin, and it
may be an inch or more deep to the dermis.
The needling sensation (deqi) is slightly different for each point. Points
on the head usually have a burning or pricking sensation, whereas points on
the limbs usually have a bursting, sore, full or numb sensation when they are
stimulated.
The needling sensation can travel up or down a channel. A perpendicular and
rotary movement, lifting and thrusting the needle whilst it is being rotated,
stimulates the needle.
Other methods of stimulation of the acu-points include:
- Electrical stimulation
- Manual stimulation
- Moxibustion and Cupping
A course of treatment usually comprises eight sessions; these sessions are
every day, or sometimes more frequently in acute diseases, but they may be less
frequent in chronic diseases. More than one course of treatment may be needed
and there should be a rest of a week or so between each course.
Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, practitioners
also use heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy
to stimulate the points.
In addition to being effective for many acute and chronic common illnesses
acupuncture has much to offer those who wish to raise the quality of health
and vitality. Practitioners of Oriental Medicine operate with prevention in
mind, attempting to correct small energetic imbalances before they become big
health problems.
General uses for acupuncture include:
- Stress relief
- Post-Traumatic Stress
- Chronic pain
- Pain prevention
- Migraine
- Back pain
- Arthritis
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