by Bangang Nkouppitt
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine practices have been coming to the forefront of medical treatment options in recent years. With a documented history of 5000 years, this ancient healing art provides us with an alternative to conventional medicine and the side effects that are all too often experienced.
Acupuncture is considered a ‘functional medicine’ in that it addresses the underlying root causes of disease and is very personalized to each individual. For example, two people may receive acupuncture treatments for headaches, but because their ‘root cause’ is individual and unique to each person, their treatments may be vastly different. In treating the root cause, the symptoms either disappear completely or are greatly reduced.
Acupuncture is a method of curing illnesses through the insertion of needles in targeted points in the body for improved stimulation. The needles used for acupuncture are very thin. They are only a little thicker than a human hair. The main purpose of acupuncture is actually to normalize the flow of blood and balance the yin and yang in the body but, because it is very effective in curing certain diseases, it is now used as an alternative healing method.
In acupuncture the Chinese terms jing luo means meridian or channel and qi (chi) means natural energy or vital energy and xue mean acupuncture points or acupoints. It is believed that qi or energy circulates throughout the body through the jing luo or the channels or meridians of which there are about 12 main ones and about 8 minor ones. The acupuncture points are the locations of the meridians or channels found close to the surface of our body. There may be about 2000 of these acupoints used for various treatments.
There are two common terms in the traditional Chinese medicine system. They are yin and yang. Yin is thought to be the cold, passive or female principle whilst yang is thought to be the hot, active or male principle. They are two opposite forces. A state of harmony is said to be achieved when these two opposing forces are in balance. If there is an imbalance of the two, the flow of vital energy or natural energy is blocked and it is believed that disease and all other ailments come about as a result of this imbalance. This imbalance can occur when a person is depressed, due to grief, anger or fear, stressed or when it is very cold, very hot, humid, windy or dry. Factors such as an improper diet, exhaustion, overwork and too much sex can bring about this imbalance as well.
It is actually very difficult to find the cause of certain diseases through acupuncture alone, because you will have to observe how a person responds to treatments and stimuli very closely. Therefore it will take a very talented and experienced acupuncturist to correctly diagnose an illness. You should also note that acupuncture is not only used to cure diseases, it can also be used to relieve back pain, muscle pain, or to just stimulate the flow of your blood so you feel energized. For example, a symptomatic treatment is a very difficult procedure because it requires that the acupuncturist remove the symptoms of an illness. The acupuncturist must know the critical acupuncture points he should stimulate and he must be knowledgeable about how the point relates to other parts of the body.
You should not be surprised if your acupuncturist uses different techniques in treating you in every single session. An acupuncturist’s techniques may vary because if one particular area is stimulated too often, that area may become desensitized and the treatment won’t be effective anymore. You can also note that an acupuncturist will use different variations in inserting the needle at different stages of the treatment. For example, the acupuncturist may insert the needle in one area for a few seconds then insert the next needle in another area for several minutes. But ultimately, acupuncture will only be effective in that it becomes successful in balancing the flow of energy in your body.
At one time, Western medical circles were very skeptical of the Chinese practice of acupuncture (inserting needles into special places on the body called acupuncture pionts). But after decades of study, it is starting to be embraced (albeit carefully) by conventional as well as alternative healers around the world. Although it looks very painful, a trained acupuncturist knows where to insert the needles painlessly. Acupuncture works for animals, even the notoriously skittish Thoroughbred racehorse, often making the animal go into a deep state of relaxation.
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