ACUPUNCTURE

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

Developed over 2,000 years ago, acupuncture is a medical treatment that involves the gentle insertion of disposable, sterile needles into specific acupuncture points of the body. One of the goals of acupuncture is to balance qi and have it flow freely throughout the body's meridians.

Qi, or vital energy, exists in all living things. We gather this vital energy from the food we eat, the air we breathe, and from our own body. Meridians, like rivers inside the body, carry this vital energy to specific organs and glands. The acupuncture points are specific locations where these meridians come to the skin's surface.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ACUPUNCTURE?

Pain Relief
Shorter Recovery Time After Injury
Less Stress
Enhanced Mood
Better Sleep
Improved Immune System
Low Cost

WHAT DO THE NEEDLES LOOK LIKE?

The needles are disposable, sterile, and stainless steel. The width ranges anywhere from .14mm to .30mm and the length ranges from 15mm (.5 inch) to 75mm (3 inches). Needle gauge and length is determined by both the appropriateness of the disease as well as the physical makeup of the patient.

WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ACUPUNCTURE TREAT?

According to the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, acupuncture has been proved – through clinical trials – to be an effective treatment for the following:

Adverse Reactions to Radiation and/or Chemotherapy
Allergic Rhinitis
Dental Pain
Depression
Dysentery
Dysmenorrhea
Facial Pain
Headache
Hypertension, Essential
Hypotension, Primary
Knee Pain
Leukopenia
Low Back Pain
Malposition of Fetus
Morning Sickness
Nausea and Vomiting
Neck Pain
Periarthritis of Shoulder
Postoperative Pain
Renal Colic
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis Elbow

Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture's therapeutic effect has been shown but further research is needed include:

Abdominal Pain
Acne
Alcohol Dependence and Detoxification
Bell's Palsy
Bronchial Asthma
Cancer Pain
Cholecystitis
Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin Dependent
Earache
Epistaxis
Eye Pain
Female Infertility
Facial Spasm
Fibromyalgia
Gout
Hepatitis B
Herpes Zoster
Insomnia
Lactation, Deficiency
Male Sexual Dysfunction
Meniere Disease
Neuralgia, Post-Herpetic
Obesity
Osteoarthritis
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Premenstrual Syndrome
Sore Throat
Spinal Pain, Acute
Stiff Neck
Tobacco Dependence
Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic
Urinary Tract Infections

HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK?

There are five popular theories to explain how acupuncture works.

The Augmentation of Immunity theory suggests that acupuncture raises levels of antibodies, white blood cells, certain hormones, and immunoglobins
The Endorphin theory proposes that acupuncture encourages the body to secrete endorphins which suppress pain and reduce the perception of fatigue
The Neurotransmitter theory states that levels of Serotonin and Noradrenaline are affected by acupuncture thereby altering sleepiness, alertness, thermoregulation, and mood
The Circulatory theory proposes that acupuncture has the effect of constricting or dilating blood vessels as a result of the body's release of vasodilators in response to the acupuncture needle. This theory accounts for how acupuncture treats both high and low blood pressure
The Gate Control theory suggests that when the part of the nervous system that regulates pain, called the "Gate" becomes overwhelmed with too many impulses, it closes down and reduces pain