Acupuncture is therapeutic method of treating ailments and illnesses by stimulating the bodies own natural ability to heal itself. It’s a natural, holistic approach to wellness that is often used in conjunction with other therapies and treatments.
During an acupuncture treatment, needles are inserted into clearly defined points called acupoints. This deceptively simple therapy safely provides an astounding number and variety of benefits. When you experience an acupuncture treatment, you experience the result of thousands of years of theory and technique refinement.
A Very Brief History of Acupuncture,The philosophical underpinnings of acupuncture go back 8,000 years in China. In its familiar form, the therapy itself first appears in Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) writings like the Nei Jing, Nan Jing, and texts found in the Mawangdui tombs. By the end of the third century AD, needling techniques, meridians (channels acupoints are located along), and several hundred acupoints still in use today were described.
After another 1500 years as a pillar of Chinese and other Eastern medicine, the West was introduced to acupuncture at the start of the 20th century. George Soulié de Morant, a French diplomat stationed in China, brought acupuncture home to France, and the practice began spreading around Europe. In the 1970s, media coverage and World Health Organization-sponsored study programs brought widespread attention to acupuncture in the US.
Following a consensus from the National Institutes of Health declaring acupuncture effective for a number of purposes and subsequent supportive findings, acupuncture steadily gained patients and practitioners in the US. It has since been implemented as part of hospital and rehabilitation programs nationwide and is commonly recommended as a complementary therapy by Western doctors.
When you receive an acupuncture treatment, a topical antimicrobial agent is applied to your skin and sterile, disposable needles are inserted into acupoints around your body. The needles are thinner than those used for injections, typically between 0.006 and 0.018 inches in diameter. Needles of varying length are used in different locations; the depth of insertion, how long needles are left in place, and how they are manipulated vary. Most people detect only a brief, minor prick upon insertion.
Although its basic techniques are straightforward, acupuncture is a highly personalized therapy. Your practitioner will discuss your symptoms and lifestyle, how you feel over the course of the day, how you respond to stressors, and other areas that help her arrive at diagnoses and develop treatment plans. The course of therapy is different for each person. Many people experience improvement with a single session.
How Acupuncture Works,Ironically, science has only just begun to catch up with the ancient practice of acupuncture. The Western medical community is starting to identify mechanisms of action for which there were previously only more philosophical explanations. However, a lot remains unclear about how acupuncture accomplishes all its amazing effects.
Acupuncture triggers the release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters that function as natural painkillers and provide other regulatory effects throughout the body. It also increases blood circulation and oxygenation, relaxes the body’s inflammatory response, helps regulate the immune system’s white blood cells, and has a stabilizing influence on blood pressure and glucose levels. Still, we’ve just scratched the surface of understanding all that goes on in the body during and after acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture Is Safe and Effective,Acupuncture is entirely safe with a reputable, licensed acupuncturist. There is almost no risk of side effects or complications; significant or lasting adverse reactions are exceptionally rare. The therapy also has no contraindications. This is all particularly impressive when compared to more traditional Western treatments like pharmaceutical regimens. The decision to try acupuncture is facilitated by the fact that there’s so much to gain with almost no risk.
Studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture have been on the rise over the past few decades. Evidence continues to accumulate supporting the use of this technique for numerous symptoms and conditions, and even for preventive care.
For example, acupuncture’s benefits for various types of chronic pain are probably the most heavily examined. Clinical trials repeatedly demonstrate efficacy surpassing placebo, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, and other remedies. A study analyzing results from multiple clinical trials and published in the September 10, 2012 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine declared acupuncture effective for relieving all the conditions examined: chronic headaches, osteoarthritis pain, and pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.
Studies also illuminate acupuncture’s ability to bolster the effects of medications, physical therapy, massage therapy, and other pain treatments. For just one example, “A study on the clinical effects of physical therapy and acupuncture to treat spontaneous frozen shoulder,” published in a 2006 issue of American Journal of Chinese Medicine, found acupuncture enhanced physical therapy’s ability to relieve pain and restore range of motion in people with a frozen shoulder. Contemporary research also supports the effectiveness of acupuncture for countless other uses.