MIT. Harvard. The U.S. Army. What do these great American institutions have in common? They've all fallen in love with acupuncture. In the Journal of Brain Research, a peer-reviewed joint study by Harvard Medical School and MIT was published in late 2008. It showed that acupuncture has an effect greater than placebo. The U.S. Army is allowing military doctors to treat soldiers who suffer from chronic or severe pain with a specialized form of acupuncture: ear acupuncture. And those soldiers find relief. It seems that the initial doubts many Americans had about this Chinese medicine are fading.
Acupuncture is as effective as standard drug treatments for such conditions as migraine, arthritis, gastric bleeding, ulcers, liver and kidney problems, nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, and drowsiness while having none of the unwanted side effects of over-the-counter medication. According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, this Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is useful as a primary therapy for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain, including muscle spasms, sprains, and repetitive stress injuries.
The efficacy of acupuncture is by no means limited to pain management. It can also be used to deal with emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, stress as well as other physical ailments like chronic fatigue, asthma, back pain, and infertility. The esteemed World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture as a treatment for common third-world disorders such as constipation and diarrhea.
Western science is slowly beginning to understand the science behind the seeming magic that often results from acupuncture. Major pieces of the puzzle, however, have been identified. When traditional acupuncture points are stimulated with fine needles during the course of an acupuncture treatment, studies have shown that the brain's natural "feel good" chemicals - opioids or endorphins - are released. These same chemicals are responsible for not only elevating mood but for relieving pain. The points that are stimulated during treatment lie along paths which are called meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
According to TCM, living organisms are a series of pathways of energy conduits or meridian channels. Diagnostic acupuncture uses these channels or meridians to detect blockages in flow, indicating blockages of energy. Vital energy, known as Qi in Chinese medicine, flows through 12 paired meridian channels, cycling throughout the body.
TCM believes that our health depends on the body's ability to circulate Qi in a smooth and balanced fashion. Acupuncture uses the insertion of needles into specific points along the meridian. These points are close to the surface of the skin and are easily accessible with fine needles, moxibustion or acupressure.
The number and frequency of treatment is dependent on the severity and length of the medical condition as well as the overall health and vitality of the patient. Adverse side effects of acupuncture are extremely low and are often lower than conventional western medical treatment options. Those who suffer from complex or long-standing medical problems may need to seek treatment as often as once or twice per week for several months.
Acupuncture has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization as a safe, natural, drug-free, and, perhaps most importantly, effective method of addressing the symptoms and root causes of many health challenges. Its use in China, Japan, and other parts of Asia for thousands of years speaks to its efficacy as well. It's a natural and powerful medicine that has been practiced for over 2,000 years. And it works. - 15437
Acupuncture is as effective as standard drug treatments for such conditions as migraine, arthritis, gastric bleeding, ulcers, liver and kidney problems, nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, and drowsiness while having none of the unwanted side effects of over-the-counter medication. According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, this Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is useful as a primary therapy for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain, including muscle spasms, sprains, and repetitive stress injuries.
The efficacy of acupuncture is by no means limited to pain management. It can also be used to deal with emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, stress as well as other physical ailments like chronic fatigue, asthma, back pain, and infertility. The esteemed World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture as a treatment for common third-world disorders such as constipation and diarrhea.
Western science is slowly beginning to understand the science behind the seeming magic that often results from acupuncture. Major pieces of the puzzle, however, have been identified. When traditional acupuncture points are stimulated with fine needles during the course of an acupuncture treatment, studies have shown that the brain's natural "feel good" chemicals - opioids or endorphins - are released. These same chemicals are responsible for not only elevating mood but for relieving pain. The points that are stimulated during treatment lie along paths which are called meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
According to TCM, living organisms are a series of pathways of energy conduits or meridian channels. Diagnostic acupuncture uses these channels or meridians to detect blockages in flow, indicating blockages of energy. Vital energy, known as Qi in Chinese medicine, flows through 12 paired meridian channels, cycling throughout the body.
TCM believes that our health depends on the body's ability to circulate Qi in a smooth and balanced fashion. Acupuncture uses the insertion of needles into specific points along the meridian. These points are close to the surface of the skin and are easily accessible with fine needles, moxibustion or acupressure.
The number and frequency of treatment is dependent on the severity and length of the medical condition as well as the overall health and vitality of the patient. Adverse side effects of acupuncture are extremely low and are often lower than conventional western medical treatment options. Those who suffer from complex or long-standing medical problems may need to seek treatment as often as once or twice per week for several months.
Acupuncture has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization as a safe, natural, drug-free, and, perhaps most importantly, effective method of addressing the symptoms and root causes of many health challenges. Its use in China, Japan, and other parts of Asia for thousands of years speaks to its efficacy as well. It's a natural and powerful medicine that has been practiced for over 2,000 years. And it works. - 15437
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