Acupuncture

Acupuncture : Have you ever wondered about those long thin needles that you hear people talk about using to restore their health or eliminate stress?  How many times have you seen reports on the television or read articles in magazines or the newspapers that tell of the benefits of this practice? Most people have seen or heard about acupuncture but how many of them actually know anything about it other than to say that some needles get stuck into you and that makes you feel better. There is so much more to be said. The word acupuncture means needle piercing. That is a fairly accurate translation since this is a Chinese medicinal method by which thin needles are placed in specific places to cause certain reactions. These places are called acupuncture points. The belief here is that those special points will allow the rebalancing of the body’s energy and so allow for whatever is making a person unwell to be alleviated. Acupuncture treatments are best known as a method for relieving pain. 

Unlike most medical courses of action acupuncture is part of Chinese philosophy not just a medical procedure and its success is best explained in these terms. The philosophy tells us that the balance of yin and yang, yin being dark and yang being light, the life elements, is what the aim of this traditional Chinese medicine is all about. If the yin and yang become out of sync the body becomes ill. Only restoring the balance can restore the body’s physical and emotional health.  

Although many Westerner’s are still leery of such treatments the past forty years has seen the acceptance and increased use of acupuncture in North America. The needles must be put in very specific places to help very specific conditions. Despite this fact the uses of acupuncture is almost limitless. Acupuncture therapists claim that they can fix many respiratory conditions including the common cold. They can help gastrointestinal disorders like ulcers, colitis or gastritis.   It is used for neurological and musculoskeletal disorders from migraine headaches to osteoarthritis, sciatica and even bed wetting. Many acupuncturists will tell you that a lot of chronic conditions that people are afflicted with like arthritis, skin disorders or injuries can be helped. It can also help eye and mouth problems like pink eye and gum disease. There are some acupuncture specialists who claim that they can help those suffering from depression, sleep disorders or chronic fatigue. Others will say they can cure such addictions as smoking, alcoholism, eating disorders or drug addictions.

Westerners, who really do not necessarily understand the idea of balancing the body’s yin and yang, are still turning to this method of healing because they are tired of modern medicine which is so much more invasive. They do not want to take pills for everything. They tire of pills to make them sleep or to make them feel happy. Many people are looking for natural methods to heal themselves. This is one reason that acupuncture continues its growth in popularity in the western world.

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