Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a system of complementary medicine in which fine needles are inserted in the skin at specific points along what are considered to be lines of energy (meridians), used in the treatment of various physical and mental conditions. It is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine – a tried and tested healthcare system that has been practised for thousands of years in China and the Far East. Over centuries it has been developed, tested, and refined to give us a complex and detailed understanding of the body's energetic balance.
Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as qi or chi (CHEE) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific acupuncture points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance.
In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation boosts the activity of your body's natural painkillers and increases blood flow.
So who is right? The effects are the same whether you believe it to be a life force or a stimulation of the nerves. Acupuncture can help the body to heal, but it does not distinguish between back pain and allergies or between gynaecological conditions and chest infections. It simply sends healing to the area of the body that needs it.
Common complaints
As more people experience first-hand the benefits of acupuncture, it is being increasingly recognised as a valid and effective treatment option for a range of conditions. The World Health Organisation has documented a wide variety of diseases and disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials.
Acupuncture can treat a variety of different conditions including:
|
abdominal pain acid reflux allergies arthritis back pain bell’s palsy |
eye pain fertility fibromyalgia frozen shoulder gynaecological issues headaches & migraines |
insomnia muscle & joint pain prostate enlargement sciatica sore throat trigeminal neuralgia |
Please note this list gives an indication of the types of conditions that benefit from acupuncture, but it is in no way exhaustive.If you have a condition and are not sure if we can help, please just ask.
