What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which also includes other treatment regimes such as Herbal Medicine, T’ai Chi and Qi Gong (exercise, breathing and meditation), Tui Na (Chinese Massage), Cupping, Moxibustion and Auricular Therapy. Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Eastern Countries for thousands of years and has become increasingly popular in the UK over the past decade.
How does Acupuncture work?
Acupuncture is based on the philosophy that Qi, ‘life-force energy’, circulates around the body via energy channels (meridians). These channels all interconnect and directly influence the functioning of the internal organs and other controlling systems of the body. Our health is dependent on the free flow of Qi, if this energy flow is disrupted then illness can occur. Through the insertion of ultra fine needles at key acupuncture points around the body, the flow of energy can be stimulated and balanced, enabling the body’s own healing response to take effect.
A Western Medicine perspective
Inserting needles into acupuncture points stimulates various sensory receptors that, in turn, stimulate nerves that transmit impulses to the hypothalamic-pituitary system in the brain. These glands release neurotransmitters and endorphins, resulting in biochemical changes that affect the whole functioning of the body helping the body to achieve ‘homeostasis’.