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| What Acupuncture is |  Acupuncture appeared in China more than 2,000 years ago. It is considered being one of the oldest and most widespread medical procedures in the world. It appeared in the United States in 1971, when New York Times reporter James Reston wrote an article the use of needles by Chinese doctors to reduce and get rid of pain after surgery. Acupuncture has been well researched and documented.
It is extremely helpful in the treatment of different conditions, such as osteoarthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea, asthma, back pain, painful menstrual cycles, bladder instability, and migraine headaches. It is helpful in chronic pain management and in the management of drug addition.
It is recommended to ask your doctor about the treatment for your condition or illness containing acupuncture and its effectiveness. Find a good specialist in acupuncture. Be sure that it will be covered with your insurance.
Acupuncture is translated as 'needle piercing", the inserting of very fine metallic needles performed by the hands or by electrical stimulation into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupoints or acupuncture points) for therapeutic purposes. There are different techniques of acupuncture originated from China, Japan, Korea and other countries. The skin can be punctured with the fine needles, heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy for the stimulation of the acupuncture points that is done for balancing, regulating or correcting of the energy’s movement (qi) in the body and restoring health.
The basics of Chinese philosophy can help you understand the principles of acupuncture’s work. The philosophies of the Dao or Tao, yin and yang, the eight principles, the three treasures and the five elements are the basics of traditional Chinese acupuncture that help to maintain good health.
Frequently asked questions.
1) People inquire how widely acupuncture is applied in the United States. Acupuncture has become popular in the United States in the past two decades. In 1997 acupuncture was applied by many doctors, dentists, acupuncturists, and other practitioners to get rid of pain and to treat different other health conditions. In 2002 the quantity of people ever used the healing treatment was 8.2 million U.S. adults. In the previous year it was applied by 2.1 million U.S. adults.
2) It is interesting to know what acupuncture feels like. Acupuncture needles are metallic, fine, solid, and hair-thin. There is a different reaction of people on acupuncture differently, most people feel no or minimal pain while having the needles inserted. Some feel the flow of energy, some ones observe relaxation after the by treatment. Soreness and pain during treatment can be observed when the needle inserted in an improper way, when the patient moves or there is a defect in the needle. To avoid having these unpleasant things one should apply to an experienced acupuncture practitioner.
3) People inquire if acupuncture is safe. In 1996 acupuncture needles were permitted for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The demands for needles are sterile, nontoxic needles that are labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. There are some complications from the use of acupuncture caused by inadequate sterilization of needles and from improper delivery of treatments. Only a new set of disposable needles taken from a sealed package for each patient should be applied. Before being inserted needles and swab treatment sites should be rubbed with alcohol or another disinfectant before inserting. Acupuncture being delivered in an improper way can lead to serious adverse effects, containing infections and punctured organs.
4) People inquire how acupuncture works. Through acupuncture points doctors can get entry into channels influencing, redirecting, increasing, or decreasing body's vital substance, qi, and correcting a lot of the imbalances. Acupuncture excellently stimulates the immune system influencing the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It can also stimulate the release of different hormones that help body to overcome to injury and stress.
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