What are the Benefits of Acupuncture? Would You Like to Know?
Before we begin a discussion about the benefits of acupuncture, let’s talk about the origins of this alternative medicine.
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It was first used in China over 2000 years ago, and is one of the oldest medical procedures in the world. It is a family of procedures that stimulates the anatomy of the body and helps to balance the energy flow throughout the body. It is this kind of treatment that is practiced in Western Europe and the United Sates today, through the use of tiny, metallic needles placed in affected areas and manipulated by hand or by electrical stimulation.
Acupuncture is the basic foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine and is based on the belief that there are two opposing and inseparable forces within our body. They are known as the Yin and Yang of the entire person. The Yin is representative of the cold, slow, or passive principle, and yang represents the hot, excited or active principle.
A healthy state is achieved by maintaining a balance state of the yin and yang. This is done through vital pathways or meridians that allow for the flow of qi, or vital energy. The vital energy flow occurs along pathways known as meridians. These meridians connect over 2,000 acupuncture points along the body. There are 12 main meridians, and 8 secondary meridians.
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Although traditional western medicine does not completely understand how this alternative medicine works, the proof that it does work has been shown in several studies conducted by western medical facilities.
Now, let’s move to the question of does it work? According to the National Institute of Health, the answer would be yes. It has been shown to be effective in many areas of health care.
Areas such as postoperative nausea, chemotherapy side effects, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, headache, menstrual cramps, addiction, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma, just to name a few. The study revealed that it was able to provide pain relief, improve function and mobility of joints due to arthritis inflammation, and served to complement standard care.
Although there are many who would doubt the effectiveness of this treatment, once they are a patient, they are believers. It has been proposed that acupuncture works and produces its effects through regulating the nervous system. The theory proposes that since it produces its effect through regulation of the nervous system, it induces the release of endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites on the body.
There is also the theory that it alters the brain chemistry by the changing the neurotransmitters in the brain.
Without doubt acupuncture was a benefit in the study, and as a patient myself, I can vouch for the wonderful effect it has had on my back. Although it is classified as an alternative medicine therapy, and there is still much to be understood about the way it works, it is a proven aid in maintaining optimal health.
But what about the well individual, can acupuncture provide a benefit to them? Absolutely. Because it works on the belief that we must maintain balance of our vital energy flow in order to remain healthy, it serves as the tool for realignment. Our vital energy flow can be out of balance, and we still feel and appear quite healthy. It is in this capacity that the treatment serves as a sort of preventive medicine. Checking and balancing the flow of energy on the meridian points in your body is like your car receiving a tune-up before it is in need of a repair.
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