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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
