Yin-Yang Organs: Acupuncture

Natural formation of lumber showing a yin and ...
Image via Wikipedia

It’s a confusion of anatomy, the inability to consider skin as more than a simplicity. Western medicine has forever defined the body to straightforward ideals and a lacking philosophy. The human form is comprised of nerves and organs, the transference of thoughts through the veins. This is the accepted belief and none would dare to challenge it – except for methods that are less than traditional.

Acupuncture, a form of alternative healing, is grounded in the belief that the body is shaped to far more than cells and receptors. It instead is claimed that all organs are connected, their functions (and subsequent health) dependent on each other. When one is distressed, all are therefore distressed – and it is this belief that has guided the principle of Yin and Yang.

The concept of Yin and Yang is familiar. Even those who are not followers of Chinese medicine understand the terms (the belief in contrasting needs, shadow and light); but the application of these two forces to the body is unexpected. Few comprehend their relevance or how they relate to acupuncture.

It’s surprisingly simple, however: Yin and Yang are representative of various organs. The complications found within them help to guide those who practice needlework, offering the needed tension points and meridians. These elements are to determine a body’s health. They are connected by their Qi (or energy) and are to assist each other.

Yin’s organs include: the liver, heart, spleen, kidneys, pericardium and lungs. Yang’s organs, however, include: the small intestine, large intestine, urinary bladder, stomach, gall bladder and San Jiao. These must all work together, according to eastern medicine, to offer an individual contentment. When they are unable to be fully aligned, then acupuncture must be sought to correct the concerns.

And, while this notion is far different than western calls for anatomical simplicity, it is no less vital.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

History of Acupuncture and Pain Management

WENZHOU, CHINA - AUGUST 20: American students...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Acupuncture has been touted as one of the marvels of traditional Chinese medicine. Going back to the second century B.C., this ancient practice is thought to have originated in battle when soldiers were forced to use the tools they had on hand to deal with wounds and pain management. Soldiers would use arrows to ease pain in various parts of the body.

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical practice that uses needles inserted into specific pressure points in the body, known as meridians, to help treat or alleviates various ailments. Acupuncture has been particularly used to alleviate pain in joints and muscle tissue in the human body. Its long and storied history has seen it progress from the forefront of medicine to the back seat, relegated to be seen as a barbaric and ancient process by Western society. Lately, it has seen a gradual re-acceptance into the alternative medicinal fold.

When it first garnered newfound popularity in Western culture, it was thought of as a New Age practice that was relegated to those who experimented with alternative medical procedures. It even included statements and claims that it was the best pain management Palm Beach and other high-end enclaves had to offer. But due to its invasive process, acupuncture has had many detractors and continues to be somewhat controversial due to the threat of contaminated needles, even though all practitioners of acupuncture are required by law to use new and hygienic needles for each new patient.

While there are detractors, many people tout acupuncture as the best way to manage pain within the body. They believe that while the way it works is unclear now, the fact that it has lasted and sustained itself through thousands of years of development of new medicinal remedies maintains its significance.

If you suffer from pain, consider acupuncture to help you manage it.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Placebo Concerns: Acupuncture

Acupuncture doll. Archie McPhee store, Ballard...
Image via Wikipedia

The mind is far more than a collection of nerves and gray matter. This has been proven in the sudden bursts of genius, the adrenaline soaked strengths. A singular thought can define an individual – shape the world into a new possibility, a new hope. Focus (when offered with a specific purpose) can earn the greatest of conquests. It can overcome fear, panic… and even illness.

While the physicality of any disease cannot be denied, there can also be no refusal of the effect that mentality can have. Those with more than self-pity can force themselves toward healing, offering a sudden rush of determination and endorphin heavy desire. And that desire can even be transfered into a belief – an acceptance of medicine and its promises.

This is the common concern many within the scientific world have with acupuncture. It is thought to be little more than a trick of the mind, a self-induced deception that allows minor pains to be cured. The introduction of needles within the body cannot be proven as true. There is no evidence beyond the exclamations of those who have experienced it – and too little credit is given to these.

The wish to be healed, the too quick submission to alternative medicine, can lead to individuals deceiving themselves. This is the common argument of acupuncture’s detractors. They claim it is the placebo effect, without any benefit beyond seducing with its claims.

This, however, cannot fully explain the endurance of this practice. With origins found within the Stone Age, acupuncture has lasted throughout the years, surviving the many prejudices flung against it. While there is caution to be given to any anecdotal evidence, it cannot be assumed that this technique has no validity. It has endured centuries – this is not therefore to be deemed a simple placebo.

Acupuncture is a genuine philosophy that offers many rewards. It must simply strive to prove itself within the western world.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Dry Needling Difference: Acupuncture

Frog blood magnified 600 times
Image via Wikipedia

It’s a mistake of meanings, the assumptions that intentions are the same. All forms of healing that require the precise examinations of needles are thought to be identical. Acupuncture is a name given often (and all too casually), without concern for the distinctions between techniques, the relief of differing pains. Individuals instead believe there is one simple type of alternative medicine and offer no further consideration. None is needed, they are certain. These therapies are all variations of each other. They provide the same services and ideals. There is nothing to distinguish them beyond occasional terminology.

This is incorrect.

Acupuncture is a separate concept. It is not to be used as a wide reference for all forms of Chinese healing. It has its own demands, schooling requirements and philosophies. It is not to be confused with other therapies – especially dry needling.

Simply defined: dry needling is the placement of a saline filled needle within the muscles of the back. Medication is injected within tissue, allowing for direct contact with inflamed areas or strained nerves. This contact enables a quick release of necessary doses; which help to ease pain by flowing into the blood stream. The placement of the needle is dependent upon known trigger points – where nerves and receptors form junctions.

This is far different than acupuncture, which is the stimulation of the body through the insertion of multiple needles. It is not meant to solely assist the back; it is not meant to offer medicines. It is instead to relieve tension through finding specific meridians – which are never to be confused with mere trigger points.

Dry needling is a valuable process. This cannot be denied. Its constant tangling with acupuncture, however, must be ended. These two processes offer far different purposes. They are not – nor will they ever be – the same.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Alternative Medicine: Explained

Supari Palm or Betelnut Areca catechu. Kolkata...
Image via Wikipedia

There is an assumption with healing: it is to follow careful processes, the rigid rules and regulations. It can offer no deviation, no unexpected procedures. Every practice is to be recognized by the peerage of physicians, psychologists and therapeutic professionals. Without their full support (evidenced by certifications and documented reasonings), there can be no attempts. Medicine is to be governed by science. It cannot be injected with possibilities, the uncertain inspirations. It is instead to be purely modern – and there can be none of the past and its superstitions.

The common man is confused by what he cannot understand. New concepts – without definitive offers of proof and logic – can frighten. And, with such a need for calm when facing illnesses, he wishes only to know what is to be done; rather than what can be potentially accomplished.

Alternative medicine therefore is often considered unwanted.

Simply defined, alternative medicine is the individual practices that are not credited by traditional science. They are instead a collection of natural remedies and unique hope – their purpose is to heal through a lack of chemicals and accepted procedures. Their emphasis instead is often on herbal supplements, spirituality and the utilization of ancient techniques.

But these techniques are frequently deemed false, however. Individuals believe they cannot sustain the scrutiny of logic. They think they are instead the substitution of faith for science; and they can therefore offer no true proof.

This is not entirely incorrect. Verification of alternative medicine is difficult. Its standards are widely defined by the patient. Each individual can have a unique response – and this makes it improbable for validation to be achieved. Experiments can yield different results with each try. The only evidence is therefore usually anecdotal.

This does not mean alternative medicine is without worth, however. It is instead a growing practice and a more common ideal.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Meridians: Acupuncture

Basic Acupuncture.
Image via Wikipedia

The notion of acupuncture is one often misunderstood by those who have never experienced it. Individuals will find themselves musing (incorrectly) about the process and its possibilities. The terms can baffle; the intentions can confuse; and there are too many assumptions offered about how needles can relieve pain. This is a medicinal practice that can easily be named a mere pastime without the proper knowledge. Mastering its many elements therefore becomes vital in deciding whether to attempt it. It must be understood before it can be tried.

And few points within acupuncture should be understood more than the Meridians.

Explained simply, Meridians are the channels of energy that move through the human body. These channels are said to control the health and emotional states of any individual – being the source for all pains, tensions and worries that can cause acupuncture to be considered. Needles can be inserted within these channels (along specific areas of the skin) to regulate their flows and help to ease concerns.

Such a concept is, obviously, a source of great contention within the scientific world. Meridians cannot be proven – their existence is instead charted out by Yin and Yang principles, a collection of spiritual points. There is no definitive validation of them and no way to even gain one. They are tangled within the notions of life and its energy. There is no way to embody them with the standard reasons or examinations.

This has not tempered the belief that they are indeed true, however. Meridians are an essential component of acupuncture – with the correction of their flow being the ultimate purpose of the entire practice. Healing cannot be achieved, it is argued, without easing the inner complications of the body. Meridians are such complications.

The ideals of acupuncture often appear strange to those unfamiliar with them; but they still offer a legitimate appeal and should not be denied.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Alternative Treatment, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Using Acupuncture to Boost Your Immune System

CHONGQING, CHINA - JULY 8: A patient undergoe...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Acupuncture, an ancient form of Chinese medicine, is commonly used as a form of alternative medicine to cure a variety of ailments. Recent studies suggest acupuncture successfully boosts your immune system by targeting several pressure points within your body. Pressure points are internal sensors in your body, which the ancient Chinese developed using a “Meridian Chart.” Various symptoms and ailments have you target different pressure points.

It is common for one’s immune system to become compromised, as it does not take much to over-stress your body. Whether you are working too much, eating too much junk food, over committing yourself, or not getting enough sleep. If you feel stressed or are constantly on the go, you might not be giving your body the relaxation and rest it needs. As a result, your immune response is compromised because the system must work overtime to keep up with your busy lifestyle.

Acupuncturists developed the Meridian chart to help identify pressure points, but it also can identify parts of your body that are unusually stressed. According to the Chinese, you are either “deficient” or “in excess” of certain energies, referred to as Yin and Yang. Your body needs a balance of Yin and Yang to achieve internal bliss, which means your body, is functioning properly. Achieving this balance is an eternal quest, as modern lifestyles are anything but calm. Another term for the energy in your body is “Qi,” which is often used to describe the ideal conditions under which you operate.

In addition to the scientific and religious qualities of acupuncture, it also ensures you are getting the relaxation necessary to live a healthy life. Acupuncture does not work if you cannot relax, because your muscles become tense and “knot up,” causing the needles to function improperly. True acupuncturists will not perform the procedure unless your body is at ease.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Quit Smoking with Acupuncture

WISE, VA - JULY 25: People await dental treat...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

When it seams like there couldn’t be anymore quit smoking remedies, recent reports indicate acupuncture is a viable method to help smokers ditch their bad habit. The process works by inserting small needles on select acupressure points, which have been proven to reduce the urge to smoke. Acupuncture is becoming more popular as people want to find organic ways to quit smoking naturally, without creating another dependency on medication or patches.

While acupuncture has been practiced since ancient times, it is a fairly recent medical treatment in the United States, which is why it is an alternative medicine treatment. Acupuncture encompasses your mind and soul, thus creating a universal approach for individuals who want to stop smoking. Most smoking patches or medicine do not help the individual stop, they simply alter the way your brain responds to certain elements, thus reducing the urge.

People smoke for hundreds of different reasons, and as they get older, those reasons become excuses to not stop. Acupuncture decreases a patient’s urge and desire to smoke by targeting the right acupressure points throughout your body. Doctors and clinicians often find them using the Meridian chart, which is a scientific map of the various points on your body. Acupuncture targets your physical receptors in addition to helping patients cope with the mental issues.

While not a form of therapy, acupuncture has many therapeutic qualities that allow you to truly experience the benefits. When you go into the acupuncturist’s office, you may notice that there is a yoga-like vibe, which elicits relaxation and a calming sensation. Acupuncture is supposed to be soothing, calming, relaxing, and harmonizing. This is why you will often hear pleasant melodies while the doctor performs the acupuncture.

If you or someone you know is looking to quit smoking, don’t buy into the commercialization of patches and anti-smoking medicine. Talk to your doctor today to see if you are a good fit for acupuncture, as you will feel the difference instantly.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Acupuncture, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Reducing Stress Through Acupuncture

Main complications of persistent high blood pr...
Image via Wikipedia

Stress is part of the human condition, and over the years people have learned how to manage and reduce stress in their lives. Stress, like any other ailment, has nasty side effects that disrupt your daily life. According to recent reports, stress in the workplace is at an all time high, causing absenteeism rates to increase as employees become ill as a result of being stressed out.

Acupuncture, an alternative medical treatment, reduces stress by keeping your body’s energy in balance. According to the ancient Chinese doctrine, stress is an imbalance of energy also known as Qi. With acupuncture, patients say they have more energy after the first visit, but most clinicians recommend six visits to fully leverage the benefits acupuncture offers.

Stress is a mixture of biochemical reactions, which quickly release into your bloodstream and produces a physical response. The response is exacerbated when there is too much stress in one’s life, which causes more dramatic reactions, such as anxiety, exhaustion, and tension. Acupuncture helps your body handle stressful situations more efficiently, regulating your Qi to produce the desired outcome. Everyone handles stress differently, as some people drink, smoke, or eat uncontrollably as a result of their body’s inability to regulate stress.

Acupuncture offers several physiological benefits as well, including the ability to relax, decreased hear rate, lower blood pressure, tissue regeneration, and increased energy. Acupuncture is an out of body experience, which trains your psyche and mind to regulate physical responses. Being in control of your own actions is one of the most rewarding benefits of acupuncture.

Acupuncture treats a plethora of conditions, so before seeking treatment, discuss your other ailments and past conditions with the clinician. Since acupuncture is an alternative treatment option, discuss the risks with your primary care physician beforehand. Stress, while part of everyday life, doesn’t have to be debilitating to the point of physical pain or suffering.

Filed Under: Acupuncture Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Treating Infertility with Acupuncture

Acupuncture
Image via Wikipedia

A recent article published in a fertility journal highlights an increasing trend amongst young men and women seeking to have children. While acupuncture treats a variety of conditions, this is the first study that indicates it is a viable treatment option for infertility. The study was facilitated by researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, who followed more than 400 infertile couples over the course of 18 months. In short, the study reveals men and women are more apt to trying alternative treatments as time progresses and they are not seeing results from traditional means.

Infertility is a hot topic amongst younger generations, as an increasing number of men and women are becoming infertile for various reasons. While traditional remedies are effective, it is not a one-size-fits-all scenario, as certain couples did not achieve desirable results through the long withstanding programs. Alternative medicine, on the other hand, provides them with a glimpse of hope into a dismal situation. As with other treatments, couples were willing to try nearly anything after the first year.

Acupuncture treats infertility by identifying emotional, spiritual, and physical imbalances in the body, which are classified as Yin and Yang energies. Using thin and ultra-small needles, acupuncturists identify pressure points that correlate with a patient’s condition. Through ancient Chinese rituals, the energies and spirits of the body become balanced. Acupuncture is not a science, and as most patients learned, is polar opposite of western medicine.

Infertility takes an emotional toll on both parties after a short while, as the couple simply wants to have offspring of their own. Traditional fertility treatments are expensive, and insurance companies cover few. Alternative medicine and acupuncture offer an affordable treatment plan, ray of hope, and wholesome approach appropriate for the entire family.

One question unanswered by the study remains to be solved, which is how acupuncture solves something so complex and dynamic by using tiny needles. Additional studies are necessary to conclude the absolute effectiveness of acupuncture for fertility treatments.

Filed Under: Acupuncture Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »