Acupuncture is a type of Chinese medicine. It is said that Chinese medicine began around the year 2500BC and is a very old method of treatment. Though there were many acupuncturists, this method never really gained prominence in the western countries. There were only a few Chinese acupuncturists in nations such as Britain. It was not until the 1950s that this method gained importance. After the 1950s, this method gained a lot of eminence and is today a leading method of therapy with thousands of practitioners all over the world. There are many schools that teach acupuncture. Acupuncture is often used in association with western medicine and provides great results.
Like other types of Chinese treatments, acupuncture is based on the Tao philosophy. It believes that a vital force or energy flows through invisible channels within the body along with the inseparable forces of yin and yang. “Yin” is an active, masculine and positive floe in the body and “Yang” is a passive, feminine and negative flow. When this energy (chi) flows through the meridians or invisible channels and if the yin and yang are balanced, the person has good health. If the yin and yang are disrupted, the person has illness. Acupuncture is believed to balance the yin and yang and also allow the flow of chi in the body and therefore restore a person to his health.
Auricular therapy refers to another type of acupuncture that is solely based on the external ear. This therapy is useful to cure acute conditions. People suffering from asthma, allergies, bronchitis as well as other conditions are cured by acupuncture. Acupuncture helps in relieving pain and helps the body in releasing its natural pain-reliever called as endorphins that exhibits identical effects to morphine. Acupuncture is a success as it also depends on the response of the patient. It is also noted that some people are highly responsive to acupuncture, especially children.
Initially, the practitioner showers questions regarding the history of the patient, the existing complaints, diet, exercise routines, life style and the emotional health status. Late on careful examination is done regarding the nails state, skin color, tongue, eyes and body odor. The pulse points are also a very great part of the diagnosis. There are nearly 1000 pressure points in a human body and treating involves maintaining the balance of your body as well as stimulating the pressure points. The solid needles that are inserted into the skin are inserted after applying heat and then the pressure of fingertip results in stimulation. The points that are mainly involved are forearms, feet, lower legs and hands.
