What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is part of a comprehensive medical system, originating in China over 2000 years ago. In the last few decades, it has gained much popularity in the United States. Acupuncture utilizes fine needles, which are inserted at specific points on the body. These needles regulate the bodys natural energy, or also referred to as Qi. Disrupting illness as it occurs.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Oriental medicine is based on an energetic model rather than the biochemical model of Western Medicine. The ancient Chinese recognized a vital energy behind all life forms and life processes. They called this energy Qi (pronounced chi). In developing understanding of the prevention and cure of disease, these healing practitioners discovered that this energy flows along a specific pathway is associated with a particular physiological system and internal organ. Disease is considered to arise due to a deficiency or imbalance of energy in the meridians and their associated physiological systems.
Acupuncture points are specific locations along the meridians. Each point has a predictable effect upon the vital energy passing through it. Modern science has been able to measure the electrical charge at these points, thus corroborating the locations of the meridians mapped by the ancients.
What Disorders Can Be Treated by Acupuncture?
· Emotional and Stress Related Disorders
· Depression, Anxiety and Sleeping Disorders
· Disorder of Musculoskeletal and Nervous System
· Gynecological Disorders, Infertility
· Facial Renewal
· Gastrointestinal Disorders
· Urogenital Disorders
· Respiratory Disorders
Acupuncture and Back Pain
Acupuncture can play an important role in the reduction or elimination of back pain by reducing recovery time and preventing a chronic condition from developing.
Research has shown that acupuncture causes the body to produce natural endorphins. Steroids decrease inflammation, while endorphins are produced by the body to kill pain.
Both substances can play an integral part in the breaking up of the pain cycle. By reducing acute back pain, acupuncture may also reduce the chances of chronic back pain from occurring. It can help avoid the need for costlier and more invasive surgical procedures. And if back pain can be significantly reduced with acupuncture, it also lowers the need for painkillers or other medications that can either cause unwanted side effects or prolong a patients condition.
Acupuncture and Depression
A new pilot study by researchers at the University of Arizona confirmed that acupuncture is a promising treatment for major depression in women.
Depression is extremely common in the US and is among the ten most frequently reported medical conditions. Thirty-eight subjects who participated in the study were adult women diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. They were treated with acupuncture according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, each depending on her own specific pattern of symptoms, and completion twelve sessions of acupuncture treatment for depression, 70% of women experienced at least a 50% reduction of symptoms, results comparable to the success rate of psychotherapy and medication.
Acupuncture and Infertility
In the past decade, there has been a large handful of medical research studies on acupuncture and infertility. Infertility Due to irregular menstruation or abnormal ovulation can be treated with acupuncture, as the goal is to regulate the menses and ovulation. Once this occurs, a woman can follow her ovulation and cycle to help in achieving conception.
One study in Fertility and Sterility, a group of 160 patients: 42% success rate of the acupuncture group; 26% for the non-acupuncture group.
Here at Wang Acupuncture Group, we treat people facing infertility using either acupuncture alone, or in combination with concurrent Western Medical intervention, such as, IUI and IVF procedures.
