A Few Points about Acupuncture in the Health Guide
I am sure you have heard of Acupuncture, perhaps the only thing you really know is that needles are used. That much is true, but there is so much more to know about this ancient Asian medicine. Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique that consists, basically, of inserting very fine needles superficially into the skin at pre-determined sites over various parts of the body.
Acupuncture was developed by the Chinese approximately five thousand years ago and has since become part of the traditional medicine of that country. As such, acupuncture is related, completely, with balancing energy: the yin and yang, the positive and negative.
This Chinese medicine focuses on certain cutaneous zones which are related, through the nervous system, to five major organs: the heart, lungs, spleen, liver and kidneys; as well as seven other areas: the ¨bowels¨: biliary vesicles, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder and three "foci" or "hot zones".
Each of these areas corresponds to a "meridian" or external energy trajectory (also known as acupoints) and an additional trajectory that goes toward each organ, through the subcutaneous nerves. The entry and exit of energy are located at each meridian point. And the function of the needles is to activate the energy of the patient by means of direct insertion of needles at the various stimulation points.
There are many benefits to using this method, including the treatment of afflictions such as asthma, arthritis, migraine headaches, stress, knee and neck pain and aiding in the stimulation of fat loss in certain parts of the body as well as assisting in the treatment of cancer and HIV disease, among others.
It is so powerful that, in China, they have started using acupuncture during surgery as the sole means of anesthesia and, here in the West, the use of acupuncture is rapidly expanding as an alternative medical treatment option.
The duration of a session by a trained acupunturist (a person specialized in acupuncture and its application), usually lasts 30 minutes to one hour and the number of sessions will depend on the treatment that the specialist recommends according to the specific health problem.
There are many other complementary methods to acupuncture, such as auriculartherapy (existing zones reflected in the ear), moxibustion (to introduce heat by means of needles), digitopuncture (movement with the fingers upon the different acupoints) and biomesopuncture (execution of homeopathic products by means of needles).
The insertion of the needles is remarkably painless, and immediately stimulating. Acupuncture is a beneficial option and sometime and alternative to typical “Western” treatments and medications. You will notice the difference right away, as soon as you to put yourself in the capable hands of this ancient and proven therapy.
