Acupuncture is a unique medical practice constituting a revolutionary approach to health care. Yet it is a medicine with a history thousands of years old and has enriched the lives of millions of people. The benefit of acupuncture is that in just a few simple treatments, health problems can be reversed completely, freeing an individual from disease and pain. Acupuncture will also help ensure against relapse or developing future illnesses.
Thousand of years ago, physicians discovered that if they placed a needle just under the skin at certain points on the human body, predictable changes occurred. These points became the inventory of acupuncture points, and they lined themselves into pathways. With training, a practitioner could locate any desired point, needle it, and bring about desired change (Deadman et al 23).
Chinese scientists discovered that the pathways not only traced themselves on the surface, but also interpenetrated all the layers of the body–the skin, muscles, tissues, organs, and bones. Such a system of multiple, intricate channels, weaving into and out of one another, can be thought of as a three-dimensional electrical circuit, like that in a house. When a doctor places the needles in the front, a patient feels a slight tingling. After about twenty minutes, the procedure is repeated (Kidson 49).
In general, acupuncture works for nine out of ten people. When it fails, the reasons can only be guessed at. The limitations of acupuncture are generally person-specific and cannot be established until needling has been tried and failed. Most often, it is likely that failure occurred because not enough time was allowed to complete a course of treatment, or patients may have taken drugs that have a cumulative blocking effect on acupuncture. For the 90 percent of us who respond positively to acupuncture, the results are marvelous.
If you are ill, if you suffer from any chronic degenerative disorder, then you should consider acupuncture (Firebrace 45) If you are basically healthy, and yet are bothered by vague, seemingly unrelated symptoms that come and go unaccountably, then you too are a candidate for acupuncture. And if you are fit and free from all diseases, then acupuncture can play an important role in maintaining your energy level and keeping you vital for the rest of your life.
The role of acupuncture in pain management is being reexamined in the light of new knowledge about the nervous system (Deadman et al 87). The time lag between needling and various stages of pain relief suggests that a neurotransmitter mechanism such as endorphin release is a better explanation than any other current hypothesis. Acupuncture-stimulated sensations travel through both the large and small fibers. Both nerve fiber sets end in the central nervous system at the spinal cord, in an area rich in opiate receptors. The main danger of acupuncture is infectious diseases transmitted through needles. For this reason, the needles should be completely sterile.
An acupuncturist uses either disposable, pre-sterilized, stainless steel needles that come blister-wrapped or reusable sterilized ones. Another threat is unprofessional doctors who practice acupuncture. If a doctor places needs in wrong points, it can be dangerous for a person to cause unexpected illnesses and health problems (Kidson 55).
In general, a conventional doctor looks at a patient’s body in terms of disease. He records sets of symptoms and orders appropriate tests and/or X-rays so that he can isolate specific causes. To a doctor trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, a patient is not a “hypertension case” or a “hepatitis case,” but rather a whole person (Kidson 41). The illness that brings a person to the consultation is not something that just needs to be isolated and removed but is a reflection of an underlying disharmony in the total body makeup. Taken together, these bits of evidence help determine a program of needle placement that will restore your body’s natural harmony.
Indeed, harmony and health are synonymous with the acupuncturist. Although acupuncture treatment is subtle, its effects continue to be felt long after the needles are removed. It can improve blood flow, change fluid distribution, generate electrical nerve impulses, and stimulate brain cells.
Works Cited
- Deadman, P., Al-Khafaji, M., Baker, K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 2 edition, 2007.
- Firebrace, P. Acupuncture: How It Works, How It Cures. McGraw-Hill; 1 edition, 1999.
- Kidson, R. Acupuncture for Everyone: What It Is, Why It Works, and How It Can Help You. Healing Arts Press; Revised Edition edition, 2000.