Is Acupuncture a Complementary Healing?

Acupuncture is an ancient healing art and had largely been practiced by the Chinese. The Chinese’ use of acupuncture for healing stretches back to more than 2,500 years although it’s origins was never defined. The Chinese had used acupuncture as a form of health therapy for the many ailments that had plagued mankind.

Basically, acupuncture involves the inserting of fine needles at acupuncture points in the human body’s system derived by the Chinese. By these insertions, the body’s immune and healing system would be stimulated back to health naturally.

Acupuncturists view diseases and health disorders as an imbalance in the body’s energy, which flows along well-defined pathways called meridians. This is very closely associated with the nervous system as recognized in the West.

The Chinese had discovered that within the human body, there are 20 meridians in the ‘energy-flowed’ channel system. These meridians are connected to the body organs. The Chinese practitioners believed that most ailments stemmed from the organs which are functioning not at the optimum level.

From this meridian system, there are at least 400 points that control the energy or ‘chi’ flow when the body is at rest or in motion. These points are known as acupuncture points and acted like “gates” to control these ‘chi’ flows. When these “chi” energy flows to the affected parts, it would bring the immune and healing system back to work.

This ‘chi’ is not easy to explain clinically and it’s just like electricity. We never understand how but we knew that electricity is along the power line and we knew what electricity can do and we would just use it.

Our skin had a normal resistance, a healthy point is 100,000 Ohms, but acupuncture points have unique electrical characteristics, which distinguish them from surrounding skin. These can be felt by acupuncturists in the course of their work.

The meridians, which connected the body organs, had been measured and mapped electronically, radioactively and thermally by using modern technological methods.

Acupuncturists believed that this “chi” energy enters the body through these acupuncture points, which in turn flow into the inside of the organs. This “chi” energy will stimulate the organs to optimum level.

From a study conducted in China, observation had shown that from 324 acupuncture points, 99% of the points are within 0.5 mm away from nerves, 96% are closely related to superficial nerves just beneath the skin and 86% are near an artery. This can clearly conclude the close relation between acupuncture points and the nervous system.

Acupuncture is a safe and non-invasive treatment in healing. There are many ailments which can be treated by acupuncture.

Acupuncture treatments must only be done by qualified and well-trained practitioners or under the supervision of experienced acupuncturists, using only disposable acupuncture needles. Care must be taken to clean the acupuncture points with alcohol before acupuncture treatment. The procedure is almost the same as giving an injection, before and after.

Another are of concern is the side-effects of acupuncture. The side-effects are normally small bleeding and dizziness but when acupuncture are done correctly, these side-effects are very much minimize.

Acupuncture can be concluded as a relatively safe healing therapy that has minimal side effects.

Acupuncture had been used to treat asthma, migraines, arthritis, infertility, depression, high blood pressure and gynecological problems; and even for aesthetic treatment like weight loss effectively.

In recent times, acupuncture had been advocated and used as an alternative treatment to medical conditions that do not readily respond to conventional medicines. There had been cases where acupuncture had been used on patients, who had undergone surgeries, to stimulate the neurological and musculoskeletal system.

The use of acupuncture had been limitless, given that acupuncture had been roped in to cure addictions like smoking, alcoholism, eating disorders or drug abuse.

Will acupuncture be a main stream or complementary treatment in future?

There had been a lot of debates on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture. The medical professionals had varying opinions to embrace it wholly as acupuncture results are unable to clinically proven.

Acupuncture had an underlying reception as more people all over the world are wary of modern medicine which is much more invasive. In fact, there are many advocates on natural methods of healing nowadays as people are more receptive on the natural healing within themselves.

This could stem from the fact that mankind had been using herbal and natural more than 5,000 years ago before the advert of the modern pills and prescriptions about 200 to 300 years ago after the medical world discovered that the many elements in our bodies.

On the whole, acupuncture would be seen and used as a complementary treatment. The advanced of medical technologies and analysis could paved the way for acupuncture to be a partner in the heath and wellness for mankind in the future.