East-West Integrative Medicine,
Your Balanced Way to Wellness!
Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine and is among the oldest healing practices of the world involving the insertion of fine, hair-thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body and manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation to achieve a therapeutic effect. No drug is injected. At first glance, an acupuncture needle is a very simple instrument. It has the power, however, to create tremendous change. Acupuncture encourages natural healing, improved mood and energy and is also used to reduce or relieve pain and improve function of affected areas of the body. It is a safe and effective practice often successfully used as an alternative to western medications and even surgery.
Based on the fact that Qi courses through the body in the same way streams and rivers ebb and flow across the surface of the earth, acupuncture views the Organ Network as a corresponding set of channels. Acupuncture points are located in small depressions along the skin’s surface called “gates” where the channels are closest to the surface. Gates of the body are opened and closed to adjust circulation in the channels and expel harmful influences from them.
Acupuncture has been found to:
- Release the body’s natural anti-inflammatory agents
- Relieve arthritis pain
- Increase circulation
- Provide relief from muscle spasms
- Relax the whole body and mind
- Address infertility
- Aid in premenstrual syndromes
- Increase blood cell count
- Improve the function of the immune system
How It Feels
Insertion of the needles goes unnoticed by some, and to others feels like a small prick followed by a sensation of travelling warmth, tingling, heaviness, numbness and at times ache. Sometimes the patient will actually feel Qi moving from the point of insertion. Needles may be placed for twenty to forty minutes. The patient is asked to remain in a resting position and encouraged to relax the body. It is common for patients to experience an elevation of spirit accompanying treatment and to be immediately energized. It is also normal for the patient to want to continue resting. Some will also notice a relief of symptoms or feel more energetic in the days that follow treatment. Most people are pleased to find that acupuncture sessions are relaxing, not uncomfortable and will look forward to the next treatment.
How Acupuncture works
Though it seems mysterious, acupuncture has a scientific explanation and does not require a patient’s belief in order to work.
The brain is signaled when the needle is inserted at the acupuncture point. Acupuncture points are areas of electrical sensitivity that stimulate various sensory receptors. Once the various sensory receptors have been activated, the nerve is stimulated to transmit impulses to the hypothalamic-pituitary system at the base of the brain.
The hypothalamic-pituitary system is responsible for releasing neurotransmitters and endorphins, the human body’s natural pain-killing hormones, increase blood cell counts and various other immune system elements.
It has been estimated that endorphins are 200 times more potent than morphine and play a big role in the functioning of the hormonal system.