Acupuncture involves more than just the obvious symptoms of a patient. Acupuncturists evaluate all of the five senses, the manner in which the patient speaks, what he or she talks about, Chinese pulses and takes into account factors that may not necessarily be factors that Western doctors value as being important. Many times, our physical pain comes as a result of an emotional imbalance rather than an actual injury or illness. Acupuncture is now a widely accepted form of treatment especially for back and neck pains.
Acupuncture is only one component of the health care system of China, a system of healing arts that can be traced back for at least 2,500 years. Other components implement the use of herbs, physical exercises, massage, meditation, and breathing techniques to balance one’s life force, or Chi.
The word “acupuncture” literally means “needle-piercing” referring to the traditional method of the treatment, which uses needles to help stimulate certain anatomical locations on the skin in order to relieve numerous dysfunctions of the body. Today, however, there are a variety of ways acupuncture is practiced in addition to the ancient used of needles, including electrical stimulation, acupressure, and the use of magnets.
The general theory behind acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy flow throughout the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for many physical upsets such as headaches and other pain related symptoms, the flu, colds and fevers, sinus problems, kidney and urinary tract infections, irregular and painful menstruation, addictions, and several other common conditions. Acupuncture’s main purpose is to restore and maintain this energy flow in order to achieve health, health meaning not only the absence of discomfort as we often think of it here in the West, but also holistic well-being where one‘s mind, body, and spirit find vitality, stability, and peace .
Acupuncture can help with:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Sinusitis
- Sore Throat
- Bronchitis
- Tension headache
- Migraines
- Low Back Pain
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Cervical Spondylosis
- Cervical Pain
- Cervical Osteoarthritis
- Shoulder Pain
- Sore Throat
- Facial Pain
- Asthma
- Recurrent Chest Infection
- Substance Abuse:
Tobacco
Narcotics
Alcohol
More about Acupuncture at National Institutes for Health
