What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture and How It Works

by: Kyle Magyar

I will be discussing a rehabilitation technique that has been brought to America and gaining ground rapidly. This modality is acupuncture, which did not become prevalent in the U.S. until 1972 or there about. The thought of acupuncture is that by inserting tiny needles into certain points of the body, it can relieve pain and induce relaxation. This ideology started in ancient China around 100 B.C, but there is still controversy in China that it was used earlier than that. “The first document to unequivocally describe an organized system of diagnosis and treatment which is known as acupuncture is The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine”1 which was dated to be around 100 B.C.

Acupuncture has been proven to help with the body and its common problems. These problems include, “people with tension, headaches and/or migraines, ….relieving debilitating symptoms of xerostomia”2. Along with many other studies that are showing the benefits of acupuncture, it is still new to the U.S. and will continue to develop. There are even patients with cancer who believe acupuncture can help with the decrease in progression of cancer.

How is acupuncture performed? In performing this technique, tiny needles are inserted into the body at specific points. The Chinese believe that the body runs in a harmonious balance and can be thrown off which is how we become sick. In this balance there is gi and chi, more  commonly known as yin and yang, this energy flows through our body. It is “through 350 acupuncture points in the body, these meridians and energy flows can be accessed”2, and tapped into to help with the balance. The idea is that when you are sick your energy flow is backed up or in the wrong direction, when adding the needles you can redirect or adjust the flow to get it back to balance. You should always use caution when getting acupuncture, making sure the place you go has its certifications and is up to code in the U.S. There are many people who think they can YouTube a how to and become an acupuncturist. There are licenses and certifications that are given to people who have proven they understand the technique and is up to code in the state they are in.

Hoping that this blog entry has peaked your interest in acupuncture, whether this leads to you trying it for the first time or learning more about it. The world is nothing but a vast amount of information that needs to be learned. It is up to us to gather that information and use it to better ourselves.

References

1 MedicineNet.com. (August 4, 2016). Acupuncture. Retrieved from medicinenet.com: http://www.medicinenet.com/acupuncture/article.htm

2 MNT. (February 17, 2016). Acupuncture, How Does It Work?. Retrieved from medicalnewstoday.com: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156488.php