What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture or Zhen Chiu therapy is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine that has existed for over two thousand years. Since the end of the 20th century, it has become popular in the West, where it is considered an offshoot of alternative medicine.
Acupuncturists believe that the vital energy of qi circulates through the human body. In Chinese philosophy, this is the name for any substance that supports life:
- blood,
- air,
- bile,
- water.
When a person is sick, the qi circulation is disrupted. To restore the flow of vital energy and recover, it is necessary to stimulate specific points on the body. This is done with special thin needles.
What is treated with acupuncture?
In Chinese tradition, acupuncture is believed to cure almost everything.
However, most often acupuncture is used to relieve:
- chronic pain,
- migraine,
- fibromyalgia,
- arthritis,
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract,
- to eliminate nausea and vomiting.
What does the treatment look like?
Regardless of what the patient is sick with, the treatment is always about the same. The patient lies down on the couch, undresses. The doctor inserts thin needles into special points on the body. The needles can conduct electricity, and they can also be burned with wormwood mini-cigarettes. To recover, the patient must undergo several acupuncture sessions.
It is hurts?
The acupuncture needles are very thin, so most patients experience no discomfort.
How does it work?
Despite the fact that scientists every year research the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of certain diseases, no one still fully understands the mechanism of its action.
Absolutely, acupuncture stimulates produce endorphins, which are responsible for relieving pain and leveling the emotional state.
The impact on the points also improves changes of local blood flow in response to acupuncture stimulation: a systematic review of the blood supply to the organs and changes the electrical activity of the brain.
However, skeptics believe that the method only works because people and doctors believe in it. In other words, the placebo is at the heart of acupuncture.
Is the effectiveness of acupuncture proven by at least someone?
Most of the scientific papers on acupuncture have conflicting conclusions. It helps some people, but not others.
Can acupuncture be harmful?
Acupuncture is safe when practiced by licensed professionals and sterile needles. In some cases, treatment can lead to minor bleeding, bruising, and nausea.
An unqualified physician can harm the nerves and internal organs. And non-sterile needles can cause infection or even HIV.
Who shouldn’t get acupuncture?
It is better for pregnant women, children, and the elderly to abstain.
Also, acupuncture is contraindicated in case of damage to the skin and oncological diseases.
Will acupuncture help me?
It depends on what you are sick with and how much you believe in the effectiveness of the treatment.
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