Information About Acupuncture
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a part of the holistic system of healing known as Traditional Chinese Medicine that originated in China over 3,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest continuously-practiced systems of medicine in the world. The practice of acupuncture has withstood the test of time for one simple reason - it works. Acupuncture is currently used by a quarter of the world's population, mostly in Asia, and its popularity is growing rapidly in the west as scientific trials prove its efficacy and the benefits of acupuncture become widely recognized and integrated with mainstream healthcare.
Acupuncture is based on the belief that all living beings possess vital energy, called "qi". In traditional Chinese medicine, the abundant and smooth flow of qi in the body is central to overall health. After thousands of years of empirical research, Chinese medicine doctors have mapped out a network of channels or pathways called meridians through which qi flows in the body between different organ systems. Each major organ is associated with its own meridian. Through the network of meridians the internal organs are connected to certain areas and parts of the body, including the muscles, bones, joints, and other organs.
In Chinese Medicine, health is a manifestation of balance, both within the body itself and between the body and the external environment. When the body is internally balanced and in harmony with the external environment, qi flows smoothly through the meridians to nourish the organs and tissues. If an obstruction occurs in one of the meridians, the qi is disrupted and cannot flow properly. An obstruction resulting from poor qi circulation, qi flowing in an unhealthy direction, or insufficient qi in a particular area of the body can cause an imbalance in the flow of qi through the meridians and disrupt the body's innate balance, giving rise to a disease. Once the balance is restored, health returns.
How does Acupuncture work?
Acupuncture can disperse qi stagnation, redirect qi movement, or concentrate qi in a specific area in order to restore optimal and sufficient flow throughout the body via acupuncture points - distinct sites along the meridian pathways where qi can be accessed most readily. Fine, sterile, and disposable needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points to elicit a therapeutic response designed to adjust the flow of qi in the body, leading it to areas where it is needed and draining it from areas where it is stagnant or in excess. In this way, acupuncture taps into the body's own energy utilizing its innate healing abilities to restore balance and foster health. This sophisticated yet subtle method of treatment is so effective because acupuncture takes into consideration the person as a whole and aims not only eliminate the symptoms, but also to treat the underlying cause, thus increasing function and improving vitality of the body, mind and spirit. Aside from addressing the chief complaint, some of the immediate benefits of an acupuncture treatment include a feeling of calm and balance, a deep and restful sleep, more energy, an improved ability to handle stress and a general sense of well-being.
Acupuncture and Modern Science
The World Health Organization lists over forty conditions, ranging from anxiety to osteoarthritis, for which acupuncture treatment has been shown to be effective. Research at the National Institutes of Health has established the efficacy of acupuncture in treating several problems, including postoperative pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea. As for how acupuncture works, scientists may have identified some, but far from all, of the answers.
To the human body, acupuncture needles are a physical stimulus. In Western science, a stimulus is defined as a detectable change in either the external environment or within the body itself. The body reacts to detecting such a change by producing a response. Although acupuncture is not yet fully understood by Western science, with modern technology scientists can now actually begin to "see" the body's response to acupuncture. For example, studies using functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) clearly show that particular parts of the brain are activated when specific acupuncture points are needled.
Recent research suggests acupuncture works to facilitate the flow of lymph- and oxygen-rich blood, remove obstructions in the muscles and nerves, trigger hormonal release and relax the nervous system. Studies show that acupuncture points stimulate the central nervous system to release pain-relieving chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. Acupuncture also stimulates the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, which control parts of the nervous and endocrine systems, many of the body's essential hormones, and functions such as sleep, temperature regulation, and appetite. Research suggests that acupuncture may also alter brain chemistry by affecting the release of neurotransmitters, biochemical substances that stimulate or inhibit nerve impulses, and neuro-hormones, chemical substances that impact the activity of the body's organ systems.
Acupuncture can be seen as a bridge that is able to affect and integrate different systems of the body, such as the nervous, endocrine, circulatory, reproductive, and digestive systems. Because of these broad effects, acupuncture can create profound changes in the self-regulating and self-healing systems of the body, making this ancient system of treatment effective in many conditions which do not respond to conventional approaches.
