Acupuncture

 Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China over 2,000 years ago. The first recorded use of acupuncture was in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, a Chinese medical text that is thought to date back to the 3rd century BC. Acupuncture is used to treat a variety of conditions, including pain, nausea, and fatigue. It is also used as a preventative measure to help boost the immune system and ward off disease. A growing body of scientific evidence supports the use of acupuncture for a variety of conditions. However, there is still much we do not know about how acupuncture works. If you are considering acupuncture for yourself or a loved one, be sure to consult with a qualified practitioner. Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by a trained and licensed professional.

Benefit of Acupuncture

What is the Biggest Benefit of Acupuncture?

One of the most incredible things about the ancient Asian medical

techniques is the amount of great benefits that they can provide patients - case in point, the biggest benefit of acupuncture, an overall feeling of health and wellness that cannot feasibly be accomplished by any other medical treatments. There are tons of reasons why acupuncture is such an effective treatment for so many people, and medical professionals are just now starting to gain a grasp on what traditional Asian medicinal practitioners have known for centuries. Acupuncture is safe, effective, and an excellent way to keep your body healthy and your mind at ease.

 Perhaps the biggest benefit of acupuncture, though, is not that it is so

effective in treating all kinds of disorders, from ADHD to chronic pain to stress, but that it does so in such a different way than modern medicine. Pills and prescriptions are all the rage these days, and because we are ingesting so many chemical compounds that may not have been thoroughly studied enough, we are putting ourselves at even greater risk than we should be. How many of us really know what the long term side effects of the prescription medication we are taking are?

This is why acupuncture is so great for us as an alternative to common

medicine. Acupuncture can treat a large amount of the same illnesses that we are taking pills to combat - but without requiring expensive prescriptions. Yes, regular acupuncture therapy can add up in cost over time - but if it makes you feel better, can you really assign a cost to your health and well being? So, if you are sick and tired of always being treated with some kind of medication that you don't really understand, then maybe it is high time for you to seek out the major benefit of acupuncture - the ability to unchain you from the world of modern medicine while still experiencing effective treatment for what ails you.

 

 Acupuncture Acupressure

What are the Major Differences Between Acupuncture, Acupressure?

If you are just finding out about traditional Asian medicinal practices,

such as acupuncture and acupressure, you are probably confused about what the differences are between the two types of procedures. After all, both styles of medicine are a far cry from surgery and medication centric treatments that you are likely accustomed to, so it is important to determine whether or not these alternative treatments are for you. And there is no better place to start when looking into acupressure and acupuncture than to find out what the differences are between the two types of treatments.

The key difference between these two traditional types of treatments is

the way that they are preformed. Acupuncture is designed to alleviate any bodily pain or suffering, or to simply elevate your mood to make you feel as though you are in a state of ecstasy. Like acupuncture, acupressure is designed to achieve the same goals, but without the use of one critical tool which has been linked to acupuncture for generations.  Needles.

Instead of using needles which are inserted into special acupuncture

points on a person's body, acupressure uses pressure points to alleviate pain and enhance the mood of the patient. There has been quite a bit of research done into the two different fields of alternative medicine, and both have been proven to be effective in many cases. However, as the studies are still fairly recent, much evidence has yet to be unearthed. That being said, there are quite a few positive studies that have conclusively shown that acupuncture, in particular, can be particularly useful for the treatment of nausea and chronic back pain, as well as various other soreness throughout the body. Like acupuncture, acupressure can also be used to treat the same conditions with similar results - and is likely a better choice for those who are afraid of needles.

Acupuncture Doctor

How to Find a Well Trained Acupuncture Doctor in Your Area

Even though acupuncture is rapidly becoming an acceptable type of

alternative medicine, it may still be difficult to find a highly trained acupuncture doctor in your neighborhood - especially if you are not currently living in or around a major metropolitan area. However, there are countless tools at your disposal should you have a difficult time finding an acupuncture specialist nearby. While you may have to drive an hour or two to find the best specialist for your needs, the trip will be worth it, as you will find that acupuncture can help you fell better in ways that you ever could have imagined.

There are a variety of criteria that you want to take into consideration

when choosing an acupuncture doctor that can fit your needs. First of these should be where he or she was educated, how much training they received, and how long they have been in practice. With something as precise as acupuncture, you want a specialist who knows what they are doing, and lots of experience will ensure that they can handle any situation.

Another key factor that you want to consider is the how clean their shop

is. After all, who wants to get needles stuck into them by some back all acupuncture specialist who doesn't properly clean any of their materials? Ask about how they clean their supplies and even see if you can watch a procedure in progress sometime to get an idea of how good their work is.

Finally, you need to get an estimate on the price of treatment. Some

acupuncture treatments can be as low as fifty dollars for just a simple, one time process while others can easily range into the thousands of dollars. So, before you lie down for your first acupuncture treatment, make sure that you see how much any particular acupuncture doctor will be charging you.

Acupuncture Specialist

How to Find a Professional Acupuncture Specialist

How much benefit you get from your acupuncture treatment depends almost

entirely on the quality of the acupuncture specialist that you visit. The biggest problem with any acupuncture treatment is that not all specialists are as good as their competition, so it is highly important that you visit at least three to five specialists before you make a decision on who to use. Make sure that you ask them about all of the treatment questions you may have, write down their answers and do some research online to make sure that they actually know their stuff.

During the interview process with each acupuncture specialist, be sure

to ask about their rates as well as what techniques they use during the acupuncture process. Also, see how much education each specialist has in traditional Chinese medicine and whether or not the specialist is going to be using those techniques before and after the acupuncture procedure. Be sure that you also check out the cleanliness of the office and the tools that the specialist will be using on you, as the last thing you want is to receive acupuncture in a shop that does not meet your personal (or the government's) health and safety standards.

Once you have interviewed the different specialists your area, you

should make your decision about which one you will visit.  Weigh all of the options and compare the answers to your questions to determine which specialist is right for you. Also, it is a good idea to weigh the cost of treatment into the equation as well, as simply because a good specialist doesn't charge too much for his services does not mean that he is not qualified. When all is said and done, you should easily be able to find the best acupuncture specialist in your are.

 Acupuncture Weight Loss

How Acupuncture Weight Loss Works

If you have tried everything in an attempt to cut down on your weight,

you may feel like it is time for you to give up and just accept your current weight - but whatever you do, don't give up on your dieting until you try an acupuncture weight loss treatment. While countless people try to go it alone during their diets, we often need something else to help us stay motivated and give our bodies a boost. Whether that extra something is a good friend who you can exercise with, a cookbook that is designed to help us cook healthy foods, or acupuncture that can release bodily chemicals to help us curb our appetite, as long as you have someone or something to help you lose weight, your body will benefit.

Acupuncture is commonly used to treat all kinds of different ailments,

but it is just now coming into existence as a possible helper for people looking to shed those extra pounds. Because you can use acupuncture to stimulate various endorphins and other bodily chemicals into your blood stream, acupuncture weight loss is just the next conceivable step in the process. By allowing your acupuncture specialist to prick points on your body that stimulate the release of endorphins and other chemicals that can help curb appetite, you will be well on your way to using acupuncture to help your dieting efforts.

However, acupuncture is not a be all and end all substitute for diet and

exercise. If you want to lose weight, you still have to eat less and get plenty of exercise - but acupuncture is right there by your side to help you out. The endorphins your body releases will make exercise more pleasurable and the anti-appetite hormones will be able to assist you enough so that you can meet your diet goals.  These are the keys to acupuncture weight loss.

Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia

Is Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia Actually an Effective Treatment?

Fibromyalgia sufferers rejoice - recent studies have shown that

acupuncture for fibromyalgia seems to be a candidate for one of the most effective treatments for this debilitating condition. If you are one of the millions of people who are experiencing the constant pain and discomfort associated with fibromyalgia, perhaps it is time for you to try something other than the traditional treatments that your doctor may prescribe. Instead, you should look in the direction of traditional Chinese medicine and see what acupuncture may be able to do for you.  Chances are that it can do more for your fibromyalgia than you can imagine.

Because fibromyalgia represents a type of chronic pain, it makes sense

that acupuncture should be able to work wonders when it comes to treating this condition. After all, acupuncture has a long history in being able to cure pains and discomfort that would otherwise be incurable. It seems that just such a theory actually holds true, that acupuncture for fibromyalgia is actually a highly successful procedure that has been documented by various individuals and researchers throughout the years.

Although the link between acupuncture and the alleviation of pain caused

by fibromyalgia has been a possibility for quite some time, it was not until this most recent study emerged that some strong foundations between the two could be created. In a study of fifty patients who had not responded to any other fibromyalgia treatment, the group was divided into two camps:  one which received acupuncture and another which received fake acupuncture. Much to the amazement of the researchers, those who received the real acupuncture were feeling much better by the end of the treatment process while those who had received the fake acupuncture felt no change whatsoever. While more studies will likely need to be done, acupuncture for fibromyalgia looks as though it may be the best option in the future.

 Acupuncture Infertility

Does an Acupuncture Infertility Treatment Actually Work Effectively?

Although acupuncture can be used for a huge myriad of different

physiological problems, is there really an effective acupuncture infertility treatment that can help couples who want to have a child? Amazingly enough, there is research that claims treating infertility problems can be done thorough acupuncture. While there are still quite a few tests to be done to conclusively prove that acupuncture does actually help with infertility problems, the future looks bright for this ancient form of medicine - especially for couples who have been trying for years with no success.

Currently acupuncture infertility treatments are usually only

recommended as a supplemental treatment that should accompany traditional treatments administered by doctors or other medical professionals. However, in a couple of recent studies, it has been shown that acupuncture may be perfect for women who are having problems with their ovulation periods. Much like acupuncture can help make parts of your body which are not functioning properly resume their regular patterns of behavior - so too can it affect your body's menstrual cycle to make sure that you ovulate at the same time every month. This regularity will greatly increase the chances of getting pregnant.

That being said, acupuncture is not some kind of cure all for all forms

of infertility. It is really only effective when combating various functional problems, like the irregular menstruation covered earlier. However, it is not effective at all when dealing with structural problems, such as sperm duct issues with men or damaged ovaries in women. Unfortunately those problems can only be corrected with procedures such as surgery. Nevertheless, if you are a couple who is trying to get pregnant, only to find that there are functional problems with sperm production or ovulation, then a regular acupuncture infertility treatment may be just what you or your partner needs.

Acupuncture Needle

Is There Actually A Special Kind of Acupuncture Needle?

For the majority of people undergoing acupuncture treatment, a special

acupuncture needle will actually be used. These needles, although they resemble common needles that you may have seen in other places, are actually designed specifically for acupuncture needs. 

While there are other types of acupuncture available, including

electroacupuncture and ear acupuncture, needle acupuncture is still the most common form, and is the most practiced type of acupuncture around the world. This can likely be attributed to the low cost of the needles in comparison to the expensive electric machines that drive elecroacupuncture.

For traditional acupuncture, there are nine different types of

acupuncture needles. However, as times have changed and needs have been modified, only six of these nine needles are actually used in modern acupuncture practice. The acupuncture needle is designed to come wrapped in its own sterile package to keep infection rates down, although all of the needles are sterilized and disinfected after use for use on subsequent patients.

One of the most important features of the needles used in acupuncture is

the size.  Acupuncture needles come in a variety of gauges and lengths, all of which are used for unique purposes. For example, deep acupuncture requires longer needles that must be inserted much further into the skin. Furthermore, the needles need to be a size and shape to allow them to be inserted easily, and painlessly, into the patient's flesh.

Although we often think of acupuncture as simply involving the use of

needles, there are other practices that can assist the process as well. During treatment, the needles may be tinkered with, raised, lowered, twirled, plucked, or scraped against the skin to enhance the healing process. The type of acupuncture needle used in such techniques is the same as any other acupuncture needles that you may have already been stuck with.

Acupuncture Quit Smoking

Treatment with Acupuncture: Quit Smoking: That's All There is to It

Despite all of the amazing benefits that you can receive by taking part

in acupuncture treatment, there is no clear cut way for acupuncture quit smoking procedures to work.  While a lot of acupuncture specialists like to tell their customers that they are able to cure anything, including a smoking addiction, with acupuncture, the simple fact of the matter is that acupuncture is only a stepping stone that you can use to quit smoking - it is not the be all and end all way for anyone to finally give up their habit.

Now, although acupuncture quit smoking treatments are available, they

should only be considered as a single tool in your arsenal if you want to truly quit smoking for good. Before you step into the office of any acupuncture specialist, you need to be willing and able to quit your addiction - otherwise any amount of treatment is not going to help you stop.  Furthermore, you have to be willing to undergo a relatively large amounts of acupuncture treatments in order to quit smoking using the acupuncture method to quit smoking.

Once you have finally decided that you want to end your smoking

addiction once and for all, you should visit your acupuncture specialist to enroll for a consultation. If the specialist deems you acceptable for treatment, you can start the process right away. Several treatments later, coupled with plenty of exercise, and a good diet that your local specialist will recommend to you, and your smoking addiction should be gone once and for all. While there are other, cheaper, ways for you to quit smoking, one of the best benefits of the acupuncture quit smoking process is that you are able to quit smoking without having to use any nicotine products that most people turn to in an attempt to destroy their addiction, making the acupuncture treatment much safer for your body.

Acupuncture Schools

What are the Top Acupuncture Schools from Around the United States?

Because acupuncture is an ancient Asiatic type of medicinal practice,

you may think that it is best to travel to China in an attempt to find the top tiered acupuncture schools - but, in actuality, some of the most prominent schools which focus on acupuncture can be found right here in the United States. Furthermore, by attending an acupuncture school in the United States, you can be put on the fast track to opening up your own acupuncture practice, as you will leave school with all of the training and accreditation that you need in order to be a successful acupuncture specialist.

So where exactly are some of the most well known acupuncture schools in

the United States? They can actually be found in nearly every state in the union, with far more in heavily populated states such as California and New York.

To get in to any particular school for acupuncture, you will have to

fill out the required forms that are given to you by the school. Some schools will ask you for your high school or college GPA and background information, while others will simply require that you pay them to give you an education. Needless to say, the better schools are those which require more information from you and have a somewhat more difficult admissions process.

Since California is such a large state, it has the majority of world

renowned schools of acupuncture. Among these schools are the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Southern California University of Health Sciences - both of which are designed to give you a well rounded health care education in not only acupuncture, but other tried and true traditional techniques as well. No matter which acupuncture schools you apply to, however, be sure to choose the one that you will feel the most comfortable with, and the one that offers specializations in the areas that you want to practice.