ACUPUNCTURE
From being a treatment solely practiced in China, its use has
exploded and is now widely recognized in the West. It is used both in private health care and the NHS to address a wide variety of symptoms and illnesses
including those linked to HIV.
One reason for its increasing use is the growing body of evidence supporting
its effects. From its discovery in China over 3,000 years ago, modern clinical
trials and studies now offer firm evidence that acupuncture can be effective in
treating pain, nausea and other symptoms. The World Health Organization
supports its use and it unites both mainstream and alternative health care
practitioners.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles into specific points in the
body. Those afraid of needles should not be put off as the needles are very
thin and it doesn’t hurt in the same way as an injection. These points are
situated mainly on ‘meridians’: lines linked to various organs and systems of
the body (e.g. lung, spleen, kidney). An acupuncturist who works along a
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) framework will diagnose an imbalance in
these functions through a thorough holistic examination.
Through observation, tongue examination, pulse-taking and a
detailed history, the acupuncturist will build up a picture of any excess or
deficiency in the individual. Each meridian is paired: one yin (cold, passive)
and one yang (heat, active). For the acupuncturist, health depends on the
balance of these elements. It can be hard to imagine these lines and points
being more than fantasy, but they can be clearly detected by a change in skin
resistance to electricity.
Pain due to peripheral neuropathy, or any of the musculoskeletal problems,
responds well in the majority of cases in our experience.
It is important that the doctor specifies the reason and source of the problem
so that you get the right kind of technique for inserting and manipulating
needles into “energy points” on the body. According to acupuncture teachings
this will restore health and well-being. Acupuncture treats the human body as a
whole that involves several "systems of function" that are in many cases
associated with physical organs.
Since Acupuncture is a discipline of its own the applications are limitless-from pain control to weight loss. Here are some common conditions acupuncture can help: