What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a form of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through a person’s skin at specific points on the body, to various depths with the aim of balancing their energy. This can also help boost wellbeing and may cure some illnesses.
How does it work?
Traditional Chinese medicine explains that health is the result of a harmonious balance of the complementary extremes of “yin” and “yang” of the life force known as “qi,” pronounced “chi.” Illness is said to be the consequence of an imbalance of the forces.
Qi is said to flow through meridians, or pathways, in the human body. These meridians and energy flows are accessible through 350 acupuncture points in the body.
Inserting needles into these points with appropriate combinations is said to bring the energy flow back into proper balance.
What can it be used for?
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Knee pain
- High and low blood pressure
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
- Some gastric conditions, including peptic ulcer
- Painful periods
- Dysentery
- Allergic rhinitis
- Facial pain
- Morning sickness
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sprains
- Tennis elbow
- Sciatica
- Dental pain
- Reducing the risk of stroke
- Inducing labor
- Fibromyalgia
- Neuralgia
- Post-operative convalescence
- Substance, tobacco, and alcohol dependence
- Spine pain
- Stiff neck
- Vascular dementia
- Whooping cough, or pertussis
- Tourette syndrome
What are the benefits?
- Acupuncture can be beneficial in that:
- Performed correctly, it is safe.
- There are very few side effects.
- It can be effectively combined with other treatments.
- It can control some types of pain.
- It may help patients for whom pain medications are not suitable.