Are you suffering from neuralgia, sciatica, or headaches? If so, you should consider visiting an acupuncture clinic. This ancient Chinese treatment using needles is good for certain nerve and joint conditions. Before visiting an acupuncture clinic, familiarize yourself with acupuncture and its benefits.
What is Acupuncture?
A simple response to that question would be “it is a treatment using needles.” Actually, acupuncture is a science with its own fundamentals. Acupuncture refers to the method of stimulating body points by inserting needles, either by hand or through electric stimulation. A person trained and engaged in the acupuncture system of medicine is an acupuncturist. The Acupuncture Association of America, founded in 1980, registers and provides continuous education to acupuncturists.
The Benefits of Acupuncture
According to acupuncture texts, health is a state of balance between two forces — yin and yang. A licensed acupuncturist specializes in alternative and oriental medicine. Miriam Lee, considered a pioneer acupuncturist in the U.S., is responsible for legalizing acupuncture in California.
Acupuncture works by removing the imbalance between two opposing and inseparable forces that block the qi (vital energy) and cause diseases.
One can find well-equipped acupuncture clinics run by trained acupuncturists in most cities. Most of these clinics follow the traditional form of Oriental medicine. A well-trained acupuncturist knows all about the adverse effects of improper needle insertion and thus performs the procedure efficiently and safely. Almost every acupuncture clinic follows high hygiene standards. The FDA has certified the use of nontoxic disposable needles for acupuncture to be used by a trained acupuncturist. Most acupuncture clinics make use of Acujing — a meridian diagnostic system for acupuncture.
Most acupuncturists claim to provide acupuncture benefits for lower-back pain, neck pain, and arthritis. Acupuncture clinics for the management of migraine, neuralgia pain, and sciatica are growing in popularity.
Several studies have found that acupuncture can benefit chemotherapy patients by managing their vomiting and nausea.
Weight loss is among one of the benefits of acupuncture. An acupuncture program dealing with weight loss is targeted at reducing stress levels, which ultimately reduces binging habits. Acupuncture benefits a person by burning more calories at a fast rate and by strengthening the digestive system.
Acupuncture can also have a positive effect on vascular headaches.