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Acupuncture
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Acupuncture treatment is a system of healing that involves inserting small needles into the skin. Traditional Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years while Western based or medical Acupuncture is far more recent but has grown enormously in popularity.
It's one of the oldest forms of holistic medicine and is intended to treat not only the symptoms but also the underlying causes of medical problems.
The skin contains certain pressure points along the meridian lines that transport energy around the body. By inserting very fine needles into the skin, these points can be stimulated to increase the flow of energy or 'chi' according to the principles of ancient Chinese medicine. The needles are sterilized and a map of the body's energy is used to locate the key points for insertion.
Through stimulation, your body is encouraged to release natural pain killers such as endorphin and serotinin. These help the nervous system to modify how you perceive pain. It also helps to promote your body's own self healing mechanisms. Patients often experience a profound sense of well being after a treatment session. As each treatment plan is designed for you as an individual, the length of treatment can vary considerably. Five to eight sessions is considered fairly standard practice.
Other methods, in addition to the use of needles, include applying pressure, heat, friction or suction to stimulate the acupoints. The idea is to analyze the patterns of imbalance for any given individual and thus deal with their problems in a specific, complex manner that addresses the energy flow.
Chi consists of the opposite energies of yin and yang. It is only when these are in balance that your body, mind and spirit can achieve real harmony.
Other areas of complementary therapy that you may want to find out more about include the benefits of reflexology, hypnotherapy treatments and injury rehab.
