Acupuncture

Principles & History

The principles of acupuncture were originally developed to ensure the longevity of the Chinese emperors. Eventually, the practice of health preservation and medicine became available to all Chinese people. Its success led to it being used throughout the East and more recently in the Western world.
Health is normally maintained by the body’s ability to correct imbalances, combat disease and repair damage. Ill-health can be caused by poor diet, life style, climate, disease and trauma overburdening the body’s defences. Modern medicine and Chinese medicine vary in how health and disease are studied, and consequently, treated but are similar in the way symptoms are grouped in patterns to reach a diagnosis. By assessing the symptoms of your disease or disorder, as well as all other signs and symptoms, your acupuncturist can determine what is going wrong and why it is happening. By diagnosing in this holistic way, a treatment plan can be made that is tailored to your individual needs.

First Appointment
Most of your first appointment will be spent exploring your medical history and full range of symptoms. During this time your acupuncturist will need to take your pulse, look at your tongue and possibly take your blood pressure. You will have the opportunity to talk about all areas of your health. Your life style, diet and family health will normally be discussed to help find the cause of the problem. After this, your diagnosis will be explained and a treatment programme discussed with you. You will receive a short treatment at the end of the session, unless your condition requires more immediate attention, in which case a longer treatment will be given.

Treatments
Given the body of evidence of how effective acupuncture is, there are still some people who feel anxious about trying it because it involves needles. However, an acupuncture needle is as fine as a thread and will cause little if any discomfort. Also, some people believe that acupuncture might be ‘too alternative’ for them. In fact, modern acupuncturists are trained in Western medical science and are bound by strict ethical codes of practice.
Acupuncture is usually done on the arms, legs, stomach or back. The number of points prescribed will vary depending on your specific needs.
During the treatment the points may be stimulated to induce a sensation around the local area. The acupuncture generally takes twenty to forty minutes. During and after treatments people often experience a sense of wellbeing and relaxation.

Other treatment methods, which

are combined with acupuncture:

Moxa involves the slow burning of a herb (Mugwort) on the handle of the needle to introduce heat directly into the acupuncture point. Alternatively, moxa can be burnt as a small cigar-shaped bundle held above the skin in the area of the point. The heat of moxa helps to relieve discomfort and pain in muscles and joints and to reinforce the effect of the chosen acupuncture points.

Cupping is a technique where suction is created in specially designed glass cups, which are placed onto the skin over the needle or slid over the muscles. This method can be used to fight off colds and flues and to relieve muscular tension.

Chinese Dietary Therapy (CDT) is often used alongside acupuncture to help correct the imbalances caused by diet or to reinforce the effects of acupuncture. CDT does not involve strict or extreme changes; it is more about balancing the flavours and types of food in the diet, as well as teaching the basic principles of how and when to eat.

Chinese Herbal Medicine uses of a combination of herbs designed to correct a particular disharmony of the individual and is recommended in cases of chronic deficiency. The proportion and combination of the herbs can be modified, during the patient's treatment progress. Herbal prescriptions may be administered as capsules, concentrated herbal powders, pills, teas, tinctures, or external ointments, according to the circumstances and the pathology of the patient. The formula may include leaves, flowers, roots, stems, barks and seeds of plants.  read more...