What is Acupuncture?
Many ailments may be contributing to your overall decline in health, and a practitioner can determine how to alleviate these symptoms, by addressing the source of the problem with acupuncture.
Acupuncture needles, which are slightly larger than a human hair, are used to access the Qi along these pathways. The needle stimulates a series of physiological responses in your body through the network of muscles, nerve pathways and your brain to then tell the body to move Qi and blood, releasing good hormones such as endorphins, to the target areas that are giving you pain and symptoms. The goal of acupuncture is to reinstate the body's natural flow of Qi or blood flow that can be blocked or depleted by excessive lifestyle choices, injuries, stress and negative thoughts, creating pain in the body and many other health problems. The result is pain relief, more focus and energy and improved moods.
Acupuncture is very safe and effective, and is being used by more and more Americans. One study on how acupuncture works to relieve pain - published in the Journal of NeuroImage - used brain imaging technology to prove that acupuncture affects the brain's long-term ability to regulate pain. In the study, researchers were able to show that acupuncture increased the binding availablity to opioid receptors in the brain in much the same way that opioid painkillers, such as morphine, are thought to work.
Acupuncture is an ancient medicine that accesses the body's natural flow of energy and blood. When we have injuries, aches or pains in our bodies it can be an indication that our energy or blood flow is blocked and can affect our health in various ways, showing symptoms of pain, exhaustion, immune dysfunction or digestive disorders, to name a few. The ancients understood that our natural energy systems or life force energy existed, and called it Qi (pronounced “chee”) which travels in meridian pathways throughout the body. This can be likened to an electrical pathway or blood flow in the body that is a network of highways or connections throughout our bodies.