Acupuncture Techniques

A history of acupuncture

Acupuncture dates far back in ancient Chinese history where it was developed and used as a natural healing method for illnesses and diseases. Chinese medical philosophers believed that the body is made up of channels called meridians where Qi flows naturally. Qi, being energy, will flow constantly throughout the body to ensure a stable and healthy bodily system. Qi ultimately balances the Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang are two forces of nature that are polar opposites, but who work together in unison to create a perfect balance within the universe and the human body. Yin and Yang must stay balanced for a healthy environment to be present.  If they were to become unbalanced within the human body, the meridians would be blocked, restricting the ability of Qi to flow freely. This would consequently cause an illness or disease to occur.

Acupuncture techniques to balance Qi

If the meridians in the human body are blocked, Qi will be unable to flow. The practice of acupuncture can rid of the blocked channels and bring homeostasis back into the body.

Acupuncture aids the body to naturally heal by awakening the immune system. During a session, an acupuncture specialist will insert a fine, thin needle into several anatomic sites known as acupuncture points or "acupoints". The insertion of the needle will stimulate the immune system and immediately begin the body's natural healing process. Although this is the traditional way to do acupuncture treatments, there are many other ways to achieve the same results.

Massage, burning of herbs and herbal medication also promote natural healing of the human body, allowing Qi to flow freely once again.

How does acupuncture heal the body?

The acupuncture treatments listed above naturally induce the body's response to healing in several ways.

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that acupuncture can stimulate the body's natural healing process by re-starting the healing mechanism. The needle creates "micro-trauma" areas, which are microscopic holes in the skin. The micro- trauma areas will allow the body to signal activation of the immune, nervous and endocrine systems which are directly

involved in the body's healing processes. Although your body may think it is only healing the micro-trauma, it is sending out enzymes to other places in your body that need healing, too.

As the three body systems are activated, so are endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are "feel good" compounds that provide our bodies with a natural pain medication. And hey, it's free of charge and comes with endless refills!

Acupuncture in the world today

Acupuncture has evolved into a widely popular practice in the world today. While traditional medical practices continue to push pharmaceutical medications, natural remedies are curing patients and enabling them to live a pain-free life.

As Beinfield and Korngold stated so elegantly, "The body is to nature as a violin is to an orchestra. The strings are to a violin as the organs are to the body. For the orchestra to play in harmony, all the instruments must be tuned to each other. If a single instrument is out of tune, the whole sound is dissonance rather than harmony."

Acupuncture techniques can tune your body and stabilize your overall well-being by harmonizing your systems to work together!