Acupuncture, healing that’s been time tested and closer to you than you might think
Ancient Chinese warriors, felled by arrows on the battle ground, had an unusual response to their injuries. Other than the obvious problem of the arrow itself, they felt a strange relief from their unrelated pains and stresses. Or so says one of the theories of how acupuncture started.
Acupuncture has been around since before recorded history, so there are many theories as to its origin, and the impaled Chinese warrior is just one them.
Regardless, the practice of acupuncture is rather dramatically less barbaric these days. In the western world, acupuncture today is practiced with sterile, slim needles, which are inserted into specific points in the skin called meridians. Acupuncture can relieve migraine headaches, nausea, stress, tension, and even help treat infertility, addictions, depressions, and generally promote good health.
Procedure
The needles, made from stainless steel wire, are inserted into the skin by a practiced acupuncturist. Ideally, the treatment is painless, or close to it, depending on the swiftness and sureness of the practitioner. The philosophy of acupuncture dictates that strategic parts of the body, when stimulated by a needle, can heal seemingly unrelated illnesses, pains, or tensions in other parts of the body. For example, one way to treat nausea is to needle the underside of the forearm.
Alternative Therapy
Acupuncture is considered an alternative therapy which is rapidly gaining attention and respect in the western world. Growing numbers of believers in the practice, whether they are patients or practitioners or both, will readily claim that the treatments restore them to a sense of balance, good physical health, and even the appearance of rejuvenation.
To explain acupuncture is not to use the vocabulary of western medicine. Transcendentally speaking, an imbalance of qi, pronounced chi, is thought to cause illnesses in the human body, both physical and mental. Qi, made up of yin and yang, is the flow of the universe’s energy that runs through fourteen channels, or meridians, in the human body. The yin and the yang, opposing forces, are balanced out. If one of the body’s meridians is blocked, the yin and the yang are thrown out of balance, and the flow of the qi is restricted. Acupuncture to the specific meridian in question is thought to stimulate the flow of qi once again.
To phrase the explanation in a more western way, the needles that are inserted help the body’s immune system to heal itself. The stimulation causes a biological response from the body’s neurons, immune system, and endocrines.
Kinds Of Treatments
Many kinds of treatments will include acupuncture sessions. Acupuncture is regularly offered in treatment programs that range from drug rehabilitation to sports therapy to smoking cessation clinics. Acupuncture can commonly be used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome, bursitis, insomnia, and arthritis.
Insurance companies are getting on board. Over 50 percent of Americans today are covered for acupuncture treatments by their health insurance plans.
Author Bio-
Walter Scott,owner of the acupuncture center of Baltimore, has a master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology and Acupuncture. The acupuncture center of Baltimore prides itself in listening and studying a person’s pain in order to heal them quicker and more effectively. Acupuncture treats the mind, body and spirit. If you are in need of healing or acupuncture in the Maryland area contact Walter Scott for Maryland Acupuncture , or consult you local acupuncturist.
