Acupunture

The traditional Chinese treatment of acupuncture is an affective alternative medicine that has been around for thousands of years. Acupuncture is one of the most researched and documented alternative medicines around (Acupuncture). Although a vast majority of people believe Western medicine is the only cure to sickness, many people benefit from acupuncture everyday. Most people disregard the ancient art all together without giving it a chance because are scared of the needles it involves. Also, since no accurate scientific explanation of how and why it works has been found, people shy away from it. The healing powers of the body are taken to a whole different level with this alternative medicine.

Ancient roots of acupuncture can be traced back to archeology five thousand years ago. Its written existence has been around for about two thousand five hundred years (Dr. Michael). Acupuncture was discovered during the Chinese Empire in the Yuan dynasty which lasted from 1264 to 1368 CE (Felt). Statues of acupuncture were made during this time period and served as the base of date for the oriental medicine.

Traditional acupuncture uses sterilized needles which are inserted into various acupuncture points in the human body. The needles can be anywhere from a half an inch to several inches long and produce stimulation inside the body (See). Sometimes, the needles are stirred around once inserted to speed up stimulation. In modern acupuncture, electrical stimulators are used to increase the amount of stimulation (Dr. Michael). The acupuncture points stimulated depends on a patient's individual needs and treatment expectations.

This oriental medicine is one of the safest ways to be cured of a sickness. It has no major side effects. One might experience a little pain or dizziness during the first few seconds of the first treatment, but this is rare. These side effects only occur if a patient is nervous or scared to be treated (RH). Acupuncture can cure everything Western medicine can, from diseases to back pain, without the dangerous, sometimes life-threatening side effects. Many patients turn to acupuncture as a last resort and find closure in its effectiveness. "My daughter and son have never taken a pill in their lives; acupuncture has cured all of their [health] problems" (Dr. Michael.).

Acupuncture is individual based. It is a very "complicated art" (Dr. Dorel). The amount of treatments needed and their success depends on each individual patient. Other factors, such as a patient's lifestyle and eating habits, tie into the outcome of the treatments. Sometimes, acupuncturists have to advise their patients to change their diet or certain habits in their life in order for the treatments to work (Dr. Dorel). If the patient follows the advice given to them and goes through the necessary amount of treatments, the outcome will always be positive with acupuncture.

Many people shy away from trying acupuncture because they don't know how it works, there's no visible proof. Even though acupuncture doesn't require taking a pill or being injected with medicine, it does have positive effects on many people. The human body has approximately 800 to 1000 acupuncture points (Dr. Michael). These points were found through ancient Chinese medicine theories and are where the needles are inserted into the body. Each point has a specific purpose and name. These points lie on one of the body's fourteen meridians which run from head to toe and connect to the body's organ systems (Dr. Dorel). The body is a matrix of electromagnetic energy which flows through the fourteen meridians (Acupuncture). Acupuncture works through these organ systems and meridians.

Ten of the fourteen meridians are connected to the five natural elements; earth, metal, fire, wood, and water. Each element controls and creates the other elements, just like the internal organs and meridians. Each natural element relates to one young meridian and one een (old) meridian. The natural element of fire connects to the small intestine (young meridian) and the heart (een meridian). The stomach is the young meridian while the spleen is the een meridian of Earth. Metal is connected to the large intestine, which is the young meridian, and the lungs, which are the een meridian. The natural element of water is connected to the bladder (young meridian) and the kidneys (een meridian). Finally, wood is connected to the young meridian gull bladder and the een meridian liver. This meridian accounts for ten of the fourteen. The other four aren't connected to the natural elements and are the ren, du, pericardium, and the triple hitter.

Another factor that used in acupuncture is heat. Needles and heat go together and stimulate the body together. Moxibustion is a form of heat (RH). In modern acupuncture, an infrared light is used to form heat during a treatment. Heat is needed in order for the treatment to work properly.

After a patient is treated, the acupuncturist may give the patient natural herbs or black beads. These two tactics are used to help speed up the recovery of a patient. The black beads are placed on specific acupuncture points by the acupuncturist depending on the organ pathway chosen for treatment. Chinese medicine has over 300 natural herbs, each with a specific purpose, smell, taste, and name. Acupuncturists put different herbs together depending on the organ pathway chosen for treatment (Dr. Michael).The patient is required to place the herbs in boiling water and drink them everyday;