by Pamela Gentry

Created on: February 17, 2009

ACUPUNCTURE:

EASTERN TRADITION

MEETS SUCCESS IN THE WEST

Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has been used for centuries by Eastern-Asian civilizations.

Acupuncture is becoming more popular in the United States due to the fact that Traditional Western Medicine can no longer ignore the effectiveness of it. What types of ailments can be healed through Acupuncture? Here's a quick list that I found on Web MD.

Menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial pain, Carpal-tunnel syndrome, Asthma, Dental pain, Headache, and even Labor pains are helped through Acupuncture.

People most commonly use Acupuncture to relieve pain.

"In general, acupuncture is safe when done by a certified acupuncturist. A state license ensures that the acupuncturist has a certain level of training and follows certain practice guidelines," says Web MD.

Acupuncture can be used in conjunction with traditional medicine to speed recovery. It is recommended to speak with your doctor about Acupuncture before you get started.

What is the Acupuncture Process?

"Chinese acupuncture is usually done by placing very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to influence energy flow along the body's meridians. Other types of Acupuncture may use heat, pressure, or mild electrical current to stimulate energy flow along these meridians," says Web MD.

Acupuncture has shown to also be effective in treating nausea and vomiting caused by pregnancy as well as helping those that need chemotherapy or pain-management after having surgery.

Western medical researchers that have studied acupuncture believe that it may reduce pain through releasing body chemicals which have calming effects.

On the subject of how Acupuncture works, I came across two different explanations: a Western Scientific explanation and an explanation from an Eastern point of view about Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The scientific explanation of why Acupuncture works is explained below.

Web MD says, "Currently there is not one western scientific theory that collaboratively explains all of the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of Acupuncture."

Nevertheless, it is proposed that Acupuncture assists in regulating the nervous system. This in turn, aids the activity of the body producing natural pain killers like endorphins at the site in which the needle is placed. Studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters which affect the central nervous system.

The explanation of why Acupuncture works according to Traditional Chinese Medicine:

The body must be experienced as a balance of the two opposing and inseparable forces of yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the human body as a circuit. This circuit must be kept in good working order or the body's energy is disrupted causing dis-ease. This vital flow of energy through the body is called qi. (pronounced "chee.")

It is believed that the body must be kept in a constant balanced state in order to maintain mental and body health. Acupuncture helps to open up the energy meridians in the body and remove blockages of stuck energy, thereby restoring total health.

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