What is Acupuncture Treatment?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing art that involves the insertion of very fine needles into the body at specific points. The acupuncture practitioner, or acupuncturist, believes that the body has seven main energy channels or meridians, and that each of these channels has a corresponding organ. By stimulating these points with needles, Qi (pronounced “chee”) can be restored to its proper flow and balance, allowing healing to occur.

The practice of acupuncture stretches back more than 3,000 years and includes several different schools of thought and techniques. Acupuncture is most commonly practiced in China, Japan and Korea but has gained popularity in Europe and North America in recent decades.

Acupuncture is still considered by many as mysterious and even magical. But modern science has shown that it does work for some conditions — even if we don’t exactly know how it works. And some studies have shown that it can be as effective as drugs for certain conditions like chronic pain or nausea from chemotherapy.

Acupuncture involves placing tiny needles into specific points on the body called meridians or energy pathways. These points are thought to be connected by a flow of energy or life force called qi (pronounced “chee”). The idea is that when someone’s qi is blocked or unbalanced, it can cause illness or disease.

There are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the body, but only about 80 are commonly used for treatment purposes. During an acupuncture session, patients usually lie down and relax as the practitioner inserts very thin needles into specific locations on their skin. In most cases, people feel little or no discomfort during this process because the needles do not go all the way through their skin.

Acupuncture treatments usually include some combination of needling and various other therapies such as moxibustion (heating with an herb), cupping (applying suction cups to the skin), tui na (Chinese massage), gua sha (scraping therapy) and electrotherapy.

How does acupuncture work?

The idea behind acupuncture is that there are invisible channels that run through our bodies called “meridians”, along which energy flows. These meridians correspond to different parts of the body and can be stimulated by inserting needles at specific points along them. This stimulation increases blood circulation, relieves muscle tension and releases endorphins – natural painkillers produced by the body – which help to reduce pain sensations.

Acupuncture can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions and ailments, including:

Pain (from chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia to sports injuries)

Insomnia

Lack of appetite

Tension headaches

You can contact At Home Holistic Therapies for more information.