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ACUPUNCTURE :
This is a technique
where needles are placed into key points of the body. Evidence suggests
that these needles release endorphins in the brain, which help reduce
pain. Children with asthma who endure this treatment may find it easier
to breathe more calmly and relaxed.
Acupuncture is the
art of inserting very thin needles just under the skin to stimulate
specific points on the body in order to bring about relief of pain
and wellness to the body. This is accomplished by restoring the balance
of qi to the body.
Qi is the life force which is found in every thing, both human and
non human, from breath to the blood that flows through us, and the
movement of qi throughout the body is a sensation brought about by
acupuncture that you will not want to miss. It kind of feels like
blood flowing, as if you could hear it, but not really. When the acupuncturist
takes the needles out of your body you can almost feel the qi moving,
it feels like a thread being pulled from your leg, or foot, or wherever
the needle is being drawn out from. It is a very calming experience.
Simply, the flow of your qi is being restored by stimulating it using
needles.
The philosophy of Dao, ying and yang, must be understood in order
to understand acupuncture.
Dao is the way of life in Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. Dao advocates
living in moderation, and striving for balance with nature. The Chinese
believe that moderation is the key to living a long life, and use
the practice of acupuncture to balance bodies and spirit to maintain
health and to bring into balance ill health.
We are made up of three elements, qi (pronounced Chee) is our energy,
Shen is your spirit, and Jing is the essence of ourselves. Qi establishes
the interconnectedness with everything and is found in ones blood
and heart, lungs and oxygen. Shen is compared to ones soul in that
it provides thought and the awareness of the self. Jing helps us grow
and reproduce. Once we lose jing, it can not be replaced, as the Chinese
believe that we are each born with a finite amount. Because we lose
jing if we live carelessly, acupuncture can reduce the loss by balancing
the qi, or energy, helping to preserve jing. When our Jing is used
up, we die.
Now on to ying and Yang, the other elements of life, when these two
opposing forces are balanced we are at peace, we are much more likely
to let things slide and take life easy, when they are out of balance
we exhibit arrogance, pride, lust, gluttony, and the other excesses
of living which eat away at our Jing. The emotions run amok and we
become sick.
This is also why acupuncture is often used in cooperation with herbal
therapy. Acupuncture works with the yang because it comes from outside
the body and goes inside (the act of inserting the needle), while
herbal therapies are considered to be ying therapies because they
move throughout the interior of the body.
While acupuncture is widely thought to be used primarily to control
pain, acupuncture can benefit a host of other illnesses, such as respitory
ailments ( asthma), cataracts, hiccups, ulcers, migraines, and toothache,
just to name a very few.
The truth is that I have never seen an ailment that can't be alleviated
with acupuncture, including alcoholism and addiction cravings. There
is a point in the ear which can help alleviate cravings of all addictive
behaviors, and acute withdrawal from alcoholism can be helped with
the point used for the liver.
Western medicine is beginning to concede to acupuncture for its use
in alleviating chronic pain, such as neck and back, which a lot of
westerners suffer from. We are only now beginning to accept the fact
that it can also be used to help anxiety and chronic fatigue, and
more and more medical insurance is beginning to include acupuncture
on claim forms.
This article is meant to be informative only, and does not go into
the detail that acupuncture deserves; please see a practitioner of
Chinese medicine for more information.
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