The roots of acupuncture date back to ancient China and is one of the oldest treatments in the world. It can be traced back 4,000 years and is based on Oriental Medicine. An acupuncturist can assess the flow of energy in the body to promote natural healing and health. Acupuncture is one of the most well researched and documented alternative therapies.
Getting to Know Traditional Chinese Medicine
In the eyes of an acupuncturist, your health and sickness hinges on an energetic imbalance. They are then able to influence an individual’s health by stimulating certain areas or what’s called pressure points. These pressure points are also used in various forms of deep tissue massages to alleviate pain.
Originally only very thin needles were used along with a heating lamp, but today some additional forms of stimulation are sometimes incorporated such as magnets, herbs, and lasers. The aim of the treatment remains the same which is to adjust the vital energy so that the energy is distributed properly within the body.
This sounds terrifying in writing, but I’ve had many of these done before. The treatment is actually very gentle and the needles are so thin you can barely feel them when they put them in. It feels as though someone touched your arm with the tip of a pencil.
If you don’t believe me, I first received acupuncture treatment at the age of 11 when I injured my ankle in dance class. I hated pain, blood, and needles, but I was surprised that it didn’t hurt at all. On top of that with time the heating lamp actually makes your body relax and you feel 10x better afterwards. So, don’t let the fear of needles scare you away.
The treatment is virtually painless and involves inserting tiny needles into the surface of the skin at acupoints along the body’s meridians. A meridian is an ‘energy highway’ in the human body and can be mapped out. They flow within the body and each meridian has multiple acupuncture points along the way.
Acupuncture has been used to treat a number of health issues like migraines, PMS, fertility problems, back pain, allergic reactions, and high blood pressure. Research from a team of experts pooled the results of 29 studies from almost 18,000 participants. They found that overall acupuncture relieved pain by about 50%.