Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of alternative medicine in Chinese history. The philosophy of acupuncture is based on the “Taoist Tradition” where these people meditate and observe the flow of positive energy inside and outside the body. Acupuncture has evolved over the years, but the concept and philosophy remain the same. Acupuncture involves the stimulation of anatomical locations on the skin through a variety of techniques and thin metal needles.
Generally, alternative treatments receive little attention because some doctors are not aware that science proves that they really are effective alternatives to “drugs” and “medications”. Keep reading and know more about acupuncture.
How does it work?
Acupuncture works through physiological and energetic mechanisms. The energy mechanism is the balance of the channels or meridians through which the energy is transferred from one part to another of the body. Although the benefits of acupuncture have long been proven it is essential that the technique is performed by a qualified professional.
Benefits of Acupuncture
The benefits of acupuncture are mainly to counteract the pain. That’s why the technique is used against a headache, toothache, osteoarthritis, rheumatism and to relieve menstrual pain. Acupuncturists use special needles of different sizes. These needles are sterile and inserted into one of the specific acupuncture points as well as the position of the energy flow. Normally, patients feel poking the needles into their skin, but they cannot feel any pain. These needles are strong and larger than normal hair size.
People who seek the unconventional treatment of acupuncture are those people who have suffered from a long period of chronic pain brought on by their conditions of standing up like chronic back pain that seems to never go away, painful head and migraine, cancer, depression, sleep disorders and other affective disorders.
Acupuncture for a headache
Several studies have scientifically confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in preventing and treating migraine attacks and headaches. In cases of a headache, traditional Chinese medicine techniques are analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and act as a muscle relaxant.
Acupuncture for anxiety and depression
Acupuncture may also be an option for the treatment of emotional disorders, depression, and anxiety. Acupuncture provides relaxation by balancing the body’s energies. Several studies in China have confirmed that acupuncture, combined with a very low dose of drugs to avoid stress, depression, and anxiety, is just as effective as treating a patient with a full dose of medication against depression.
Repair the nerves efficiently
Acupuncture, unlike other medicines, acts directly on the nervous system. Therefore, it is undoubtedly the most effective therapy to stimulate nerve repair. Thus, it is the therapy of choice for strokes, paralysis, and health problems.
Relieve pain
As mentioned above, acupuncture is the queen to act on the nerves which also helps to relieve pain or to proceed to anesthesia without resorting to anesthetics. In this way, an experienced acupuncturist can help you to relieve back pain. Acupuncture needles also leave positive effects on the brain, disabling some brain areas associated with painful sensations. From this point of view, it is understood that the technique is also thought to be adequate for treating anxiety and stress and related gastrointestinal disorders.
Calm the hyperactivity of the organs
Acupuncture helps to quickly calm the hyperactivity of the organs. The number of patients with these symptoms is numerous. In Western medicine, they receive neuroleptics which make them sluggish. Acupuncture therapy manages to regularize these patients without breaking them, which allows them to remain in society and helps them to avoid the psychiatric hospital that awaits them at the slightest aggravation.
A reliable diagnostic system
The diagnosis of an acupuncturist is based on the basic theory of Chinese medicine. This fundamental theory occupies half the time (acupuncturist) spent learning acupuncture. It is particularly explicit when it comes to the symptoms that one (acupuncturist) encounters in practice and it allows to very well understand the situation of the patient. This is a clear and indisputable advantage for acupuncture compared with other alternative medicines because none of these other medicines have such clear and effective theories to make a diagnosis.
Influence the quality of sleep
Acupuncture can have a positive effect on sleep. Sleep disorders can have several causes. A frequent awakening at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning is an energetic disorder related to the gallbladder. While difficulty falling asleep, are due to a vacuum of “yin” or an excess of “yang”. To treat effectively, you must find the origin of the symptom and work on the relevant meridian.
Acupuncture for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome can be alleviated by using acupuncture and physical exercises. During a research, a group of women with this problem received electro acupuncture regularly for four months. As a result, they had their normal menstrual cycle and hormonal levels regulated. Women with polycystic ovaries do not normally ovulate, which can lead to infertility, increase the risk of obesity, and develop type 2 diabetes and the development of cardiovascular disease.
Increases fertility
Acupuncture is used to increase the chances of pregnancy since it increases the amount of blood that reaches the uterus, making the uterine walls thicker and, therefore, making fecundity easier. It also manages to reduce “stress hormones” that reduces acidity in the stomach, as well as digestion, in pregnant women.
Reduces side effects of radiation
Many of the patients, who receive radiation therapy for cancer, make use of acupuncture to reduce some of the side effects that radiation has on their body. For example, it reduces nausea and dryness of the mouth, thus improving their quality of life.
Some people think cancer can be effectively combated by Chinese herbal medicine. Nevertheless, it’s crucial for people to realize that curing cancer is something that an herbal remedy cannot do. It’s quite easy to find a website that promotes a certain herbal remedy as being a cure for cancer, but such claims have not been verified and few herbologists would ever stand by such statements. However, using Chinese herbs for cancer is considered to be useful when combined with normal cancer treatment, although it won’t cure the disease. That is because patients who use it seem to benefit in many ways.
Patients suffering from the side effects that accompany chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments can use herbal medicine in order to decrease these symptoms. Patients often experience side effects which may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea with digestive disorders. While undergoing cancer treatments, some patients find that herbal medicines help with the negative side effects.
When a person undergoes radiation and chemotherapy therapies, their immune system is at risk due to the treatment killing not only the harmful cells but also the good cells. The body’s capacity to fight cancer can be increased by using medicines of plant origin. As a result, the body can deal with maladies more effectively while these cancer treatments are ongoing. To give one example, Chinese herbs for cancer are correlated with low probability of complications from pneumonia and other maladies.
In recent years, there has been more research done to measure the effectiveness of different herbs on cancer. In a lab setting, some research has proven that certain herbs can inhibit the growth of tumors in the body. Clearly this does not prove that herbal remedies cure cancer. On the other hand, it does seem to demonstrate that the combination of conventional medicine and herbal treatment can be effective for patients. Other research shows that herbal medicines may keep some cancers from recurring. The majority of scientists would like to see more research done before the results on using Chinese herbs for cancer are called conclusive.
Herbal medicine has been utilized in the Eastern worlds for thousands of years and is still thought to be mainstream medication in the majority of Far Eastern countries. These days a partnership created between these methods and conventional medicines helps to create a much more well rounded way of treating people. Using herbal treatments combined with good exercise and eating habits will enhance this type of therapy. Depending on the problem, acupuncture is also included in this traditional medication therapy.
Acupuncture for Back Pain and Depression
Acupuncture has been used for the treatment of back pain and depression for many centuries. When we remember that in Oriental medicine the mind has an influence on the body, and the body has an influence on the mind, we can easily understand how these two different ailments back pain and depression can be connected.
In the Traditional Chinese medical framework, each organ is associated with a specific emotion, which in the case of the Liver is Anger. According to Traditional Chinese medicinal theory, the built up of repressed anger causes the liver Qi energy to stagnate. This in turn affects the spiritual aspect of that organ which is called “The ethereal soul “. It provides us the ability to make decisions. When the Liver Qi (energy) is unbalanced, that ability is lost. This can result in poor motivation, and a general lack of direction in life.
The affected person often become inflexible in their ideas, unable and unwilling to accept other people’s opinions; they gradually alienate those close to them. Build up feelings of frustration and anger can lead to powerlessness and depression when these demands can’t be met. These negative emotions will have on effect on the body causing it to become tight and inflexible, like the mind of the depressed patient, and result in back pain and other physical ailments, like digestive problems.
Other emotions such as grief and guilt can affect other organ’s energy such as the lungs or the heart and the kidneys and also lead to depressive states. Hence acupuncture for back pain and depression is adjunct treatment for chronic health problems or disorders.
A constitutional weakness in the kidneys energy can result in a lack of willpower. We have probably all met some of these enthusiastic people who always seem to be full of projects, and great ideas, but they never seem to be able to bring anything to completion. This underlying weakness can be another building ground for depression. Also, kidneys weakness makes that person susceptible to lower back pain.
It is characterized by the type of pain which builds up slowly throughout the day, and becomes worse with any type of exertion. In that case, we often see two distinct patterns with either an accompanying weakness in the knees and feelings of cold in the extremities, or in opposite, symptoms of internal heat like insomnia, or irritability, and dry throat and mouth.
If the Liver itself is the causing factor, the pain will be sharp, alternating from side to side, maybe travelling up to the shoulders and neck, accompanied with aching joints.
In these cases, taking pharmaceutical medication will only have a short term symptomatic benefit, while a course of acupuncture treatments combined with mediation and gentle exercise can often be a life changing experience for patients suffering from either the back pain or the depression, or even both.
Acupuncture treatment helps relieves back pain and depression so that you are able to get back to the swing of life.