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A lot of people have heard that acupuncture can successfully treat a wide range of conditions. Yet for many it seems strange that putting needles into the body can improve health.
I'm often asked how acupuncture works? To answer this question I usually provide some background information, as in the West we do not see the body in the way they do in Eastern cultures.
The basis of acupuncture is to move energy in the meridian or channel system which runs throughout the body. Often during treatment a needle will cause an ache that follows a line up or down the body. There may be a mild tingle in the fingers or toes at the end of this line. The line of aching is always in the same place from one person to another and exactly follows the line of the meridian. Acupuncture is about placing needles into specific points on the body, which are on lines of flowing energy (meridians).
Stimulating these points causes the body to respond. It is a reaction to the stimulation of the needle that causes the body to alter its' internal environment. We are use to turning the dial of a thermostat and the house or iron getting hotter, the body also has a thermostat and we can have an influence over that by stimulating specific acupuncture points. However with acupuncture there are about 365 points which control a whole range of bodily functions not just hot and cold but also things like digestion, sleeping and respiration.
One of the incredible features of acupuncture is its' ability to restore the body to a more balanced state. As an example of this it has been shown experimentally that acupuncture will tend to lower blood pressure which is abnormally high but will also raise low blood pressure back to a more normal level. In other words acupuncture will work to bring the body back to a position of equilibrium, but will not provoke an imbalance.
The art of acupuncture is to know which points to stimulate for a specific set of symptoms, the body will do the rest!
Below is a list of conditions that acupuncture can effectively treat.
Muscles & Tendons
E.g. Tennis elbow, torn muscles, Achilles tendon injuries.
Accidents & Injuries
E.g. Whiplash, repetitive strain injuries tenosynovitis, contusions.
Headaches
Fatigue
Arthritis & Rheumatism
E.g. Hip pain, wrist pain, frozen shoulder knee and foot pain.
Stress & Anxiety
Digestive Disorders
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