About Acupuncture

Acupuncture

Part of traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years, and through research has been proven effective for treatment of all types of conditions such as muscular injuries and arthritis, back and neck pain, neuropathy, headaches, migraines, stress related conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, as well as digestive disorders such as constipation, GERD and IBS. Acupuncture also helps to speed the healing process when used with traditional western techniques such as physical therapy and M.D. directed pain management interventions.

The insertion of tiny, painless, hair-thin needles helps to increase the flow of natural endorphins, helps to decrease inflammation and swelling and restores circulation. Needles are all individually sterilized, single use and are safe even for those on blood thinners or who have weakened immune systems.

Sessions last 45 minutes to 1 hour, number of sessions will depend upon diagnosis, and how long symptoms have been present.

History

For over 5000 years, people throughout Asia have relied upon Traditional Oriental Medicine as their primary healing system. In recent years, this time-honored healing art has gained wide acceptance all over the world as a powerful complement to conventional modern medicine. Acupuncture in particular has become a popular choice for millions of Americans seeking a safe, holistic, and natural alternative to conventional drug therapy and surgery.

The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, “needle”, and pungere, “to prick”. In Standard Mandarin,(zhen bian) (a related word,(zhen jiu), refers to acupuncture together with moxibustion).The earliest written record of acupuncture is the Chinese text Huangdi Neijing (English: Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon).Different types of acupuncture (Classical Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Vietnamese and Korean acupuncture) are practiced and taught throughout the world.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points are situated on meridians (click on pic, upper right) along which qi (a “life energy”), flows. Modern acupuncture texts present them as ideas that are useful in clinical practice.