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What is Acupuncture?
 Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing developed over thousands of years as part of the traditional medicine of China, Japan and other Eastern Countries.
The earliest records of acupuncture date back over 2,000 years and today there are over 3,000,000 practitioners worldwide. Although the majority of these people practice in the East, over the last 50 years an increasing number of people in the West have trained to become acupuncturists.
The practice of acupuncture is thought to have begun with the discovery that stimulation of specific areas on the skin affects the functioning of certain organs of the body.
It has evolved into a system of medicine that restores and maintains health by the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture points just beneath the body surface. These points are in very specific locations and lie on channels of energy. Moxibustion, the warming of acupuncture points through the use of smoldering herbs, is often used as a supplement and the needles may also be stimulated using a small electric current. Here in the west, acupuncture has been misleadingly publicized as only being helpful in specific conditions, such as the relief of pain. It is, in fact extremely effective in a wide variety of conditions thorough its power to simulate the mind and body's own healing response.
Acupuncture is the gently insertion of hair-fine needles into specific points on the body to stimulate the flow of one's Qi (pronounced chee) or natural healing energy. Sometimes rather than just inserting a needle into an acupoint, your acupuncturist may choose to apply heat to the point, or stimulate it with a very low voltage electricity (no more than is generated by a flashlight battery). These techniques are called Moxibustion" and Electro-Stimulation. They are additional techniques that your acupuncturist may use to further stimulate the natural healing powers of your body. Acupuncture needles used today in the United States are all sterile and disposable. Before AIDS was an issue, acupuncturists used a special machine called an autoclave to treat used needles with heat to sterilize them for additional use. While this technique is still allowed in the State of California (Autoclave usage is state regulated), most Licenses acupuncturists chose to use the new disposable type of needles. They come in sterile containers, are used once and than disposed of.
Acupuncture and herbal treatments are drug-free. However, you should always inform any health practitioner about all preexisting conditions, the names of all meditations you are taking, whether you are, or could be pregnant, and if you have a cardiac pacemaker of cosmetic implants. Your acupuncturist will be able to evaluate your specific situation with this information for insure the best results.
Acupuncture treatment may be used along with other medical care to great advantage. It has been used for pain control after other medical or dental procedures, for improving healing, and to lessen the side effects of some drugs including chemotherapy.
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Most people are surprised to learn that acupuncture needles are very thin. Ten to fifteen acupuncture needles can fit into one conventional hypodermic needle. Acupuncturists can attain a high level of skill in gently placing these tiny needles into the skin with a minimum of discomfort.
Acupuncture Diagnosis And Treatment
During the first consultation, the practitioner aims to determine the nature of the disharmony in he patient's mind/body by careful questioning and observation.
A detailed understanding is required of the patients symptoms, past medical and family history, lifestyle and diet behavior of all the systems in the body such as digestion and circulation, sleep patterns, and emotional feelings. Diagnosis my also include examination of the tongue for its structure, color an coating and of the pulses at the wrists, which are felt for their quality, rhythm and strength. What the practitioner is looking for is not symptoms in isolation, but rather a pattern into with is woven a total picture of the patient. Having decided on the cause or causes of the problem, the points and appropriate method of treatment are selected according to various rules governing the movement of Qi in the body.
During acupuncture treatment, needles are either inserted for a second or two or left in place for up to 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the effect required. During this time there may be a heavy sensation in the limbs and a pleasant feeling of relaxation.
Sometimes, a herbal reparation known as moxa is smoldered on or held near to the acupuncture point and removed when the patient feels it becoming hot. Gentle electrical stimuli may also be applied through the needles, giving a sensation of tingling or buzzing.
Other methods of treating acupuncture points include massage, (acupressure), tapping with a rounded probe, and laser. These are techniques that are particularly suitable for children or for people who have a genuine fear of needles.
Treatment with acupuncture can produce rapid results but more often it requires a number of treatments over a period of time. Usually treatments are once or twice a week, but they can be less frequent. Sometimes the effect is quite dramatic and the patient will only need one or two treatments. Sometimes the effect is subtle and may require treatment for several months. There is, however, usually some change after about five treatments.
An acupuncturist may be consulted by people with specific symptoms or conditions, such as pain, anxiety, arthritis, sports injuries, hayfever, asthma, migraine, high blood pressure, menstrual disorders, intestinal problems or pregnancy management and delivery.
While extensive practice and research has shown that acupuncture is effective in helping people with such conditions as well as with many others, it does more than simply relieve symptoms. The aim of acupuncture is to treat the whole patient and to restore the balance between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual.
In traditional acupuncture, since all illness is considered the result of an imbalance of energy, treatment can benefit almost any ill person as long as the degenerative process in the tissues of the body is not too extensive. Many people also have acupuncture as a preventative treatment or because they feel unwell in themselves but are not "ill" in the Western sense.
Can Acupuncture Be Effective When Other Treatments Have Failed?
Absolutely! Each system of medicine has its own areas of greatest effectiveness. Acupuncture excels in those areas in which conventional medicine comes up short. Chronic disease, pain control, and stress related disorders are three of acupuncture and Oriental medicine's specialties.
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