Can acupuncture help you?
Many people are hesitant when it comes to acupuncture, but it is an incredibly safe, painless, and effective way to improve overall health. This holistic treatment originated more than 4,000 years ago, but it has gained popularity recently as more people realize its many benefits.
Acupuncture has proven effective in clinical trials to treat and prevent a number of medical conditions, including:
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Digestive Problems
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- Infertility
- Lower Back Pain
- Migraine and Headache
- Morning Sickness
- Nicotine Addiction (Smoking)
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Sciatica
- Sinusitis and Asthma
- Sports Injuries
- Stress
- Weight Loss
The History of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient technique that has been practiced in China for over 4,000 years. Traditional Chinese Medicine views health as a constantly changing flow of energy, or Chi. Chi flows through 14 different channels, or meridians, on both sides of the body. Each meridian contains a definitive number of specific acupuncture points which can be manipulated to increase or decrease the energy in that particular channel.
Because each meridian is associated with a body organ or organ system, acupuncture can treat the entire human body. Acupuncturists use very thin needles inserted into the acupuncture points along the energy meridians to regulate the imbalances of the energy. This stimulates the body’s internal healing mechanisms, which help with pain control, reduces inflammation, and allows balance of hormones.
Acupuncture has been used in Asia to treat almost any illness, including flu and common colds, high blood pressure, and appendicitis. It is also a common form of non-drug anesthesia for surgery and childbirth in China. In the U.S., the most common ailments treated are chronic pain syndromes, such as arthritis, headaches, and back pain.
More and more western medicine is beginning to accept the role of acupuncture in treating many different ailments including nausea due to chemotherapy and morning sickness, allergies, and addictions.