acupuncture Overall
People have many misconceptions about acupuncture. They think of pain whenever they think of a needle. Acupuncture is not about inflicting pain at all. Acupuncture is an ancient form of health care treatment in Chinese medicine. An acupuncturist uses hair like needles to insert into the skin at specific treatment points to restore wellness. Here we share five things make it easier for you to understand how acupuncture works. The long history with Chinese Traditional Medicine depict ought to give Westerners a feeling of confidence.
The Acupuncture Mindset
A good way to understand the Acupuncture Mindset is to find out how it compares with your existing knowledge. For instance you can look at the historical development within ancient China before much was known about human physiology in modern language. Rather than look for and treat illness and diseases that were not understood, acupuncturists found ways to help the human body begin to heal itself by restoring normal energy flow for their patients. Acupuncture puts its focus on wellness and health rather than on sickness.
Acupuncture Training
Modern acupuncture schools follow the same approach used by the ancient Chinese acupuncturists. It is practical and direct and related to all parts of life. The acupuncturist taught his apprentices with instruction in the old ways and with practice of the methods. He also showed them how to live with healthy and productive intentions. So his function was somewhat like a mentor. Since the beginning of history as we know it ,doctors in China have focused on preventing disease rather than curing or conventional research. They teach the basics of how the body works, as explained in the practice of Chinese medicine and learning how to integrate herbs and acupuncture and nutrition and exercise with a holistic method of instruction. Classes are practical and create ways to integrate acupuncture into an already active medical practice.
Students must learn the locations and functions of the meridians (channels) through which energy (Qi) flows. This is a critical part of all acupuncture treatments. Since any blockage in the flow of energy results in some kind of disorder, acupuncturists identify the locations of the blockage and apply tiny hair like needles to the skin for a period of time. This is said to be relaxing and not painful. The remarkable success rate for acupuncture treatments is relative to the experience of the acupuncturist and to regular and repeat treatments to allow the patient to restore health in his or her body. Each treatment is likely to last from 30 minutes to an hour and the patient should remain relaxed and drink water or mild tea afterwards..
Acupuncture and Conventional Western Medicine
Until recent years acupuncture was not viewed highly by Western physicians. It was lumped together with other alternative medical treatments as questionable and untested. This was in spite of the fact that it had been used for thousands of years in other cultures, with success. Today there is a better understanding of the parallels between the different medical approaches. The central nervous system does have an energy field and it is responsible for sending and receiving messages to all parts of your body. When compared with the meridians for Qi energy there is a lot of similarity, but with different language and focus.
Allowing for the oversimplification of all things are connected, both acupuncture and the nervous system of conventional physicians are performing the same functions within the body. A blockage of energy or a misfire in a neural synapse each may result in some particular physiological disorder. The acupuncturist seeks to restore wellness by stimulating the proper flow of energy along the body's meridians so the patient can heal. The physician seeks to get rid of the disorder and its symptoms with medicine to correct the biochemical imbalance.
Acupuncture Doctors
Both patients and doctors can benefit from integrated medicine that includes alternative treatments like acupuncture. It takes different training to become a physician than it does to become an acupuncturist. But both can benefit from the skills and knowledge and tools of the other. Historically, the primary concern with acupuncture and other alternative medicine was the ambiguous certification and licensing procedures. Now since acupuncturists must be licensed to practice, in most states it is less disturbing. More and more chiropractors and family care physicians are adding acupuncture and other alternative treatments to their practices.
Summary
Acupuncture is real and gaining popularity today as more people become health conscious and seek alternatives to conventional treatments. The clash between Eastern and Western medicines is not so much a functional one as it is a communication rift that is being bridged by many health care professionals.
Posted under acupuncture
This post was written by Donnie Boots on May 12, 2009
