Medical Keywords - Everything you need to know about health.

What Is Acupuncture Good For?

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to alleviate the symptoms of many conditions and to promote a feeling of good health and well being. Acupuncture works by triggering the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain and central nervous system. These chemicals, endorphins and serotonin, have a strong effect on a person's mood and the feelings they have, they can make you feel down and in pain or happy and pain free.

The traditional method behind the treatment is to accentuate the flow of "qi", which is believed to be the bodies natural flow of energy. Today qi is used more like a metaphor and acupuncture is one of the most well known, and most widely used treatments in a complementary fashion.

How is acupuncture carried out?

Acupuncture is carried out by hundreds of small needles being inserted into special points in the body, these points are known as acupuncture points and are located along meridian lines where qi is supposed to flow likes streams, rivers and seas. In the body there are hundreds, if not thousands of acupuncture points, all of which are related to different medical conditions and used for alleviating different symptoms. The points are found by an acupuncture therapist feeling for pulses in the body, mostly around the organs, this will help them determine which acupuncture points to use.

What is acupuncture used for?

Acupuncture has been used for a wide variety of medical conditions for a few millennia, today we use acupuncture for medical conditions like asthma, high blood pressure, pain, headaches, digestive problems and women's menstrual problems.

Are there any adverse effects from acupuncture?

Overall acupuncture is a very safe treatment, especially when carried out by a qualified medical professional. When carrying out acupuncture it is important to make sure that needles are sterilized so infection does not occur. After treatment many people feel effects differently, while some may be energetic and vibrant, others may be drowsy and tired, for this reason it is important to make sure that you do not drive or operate heavy machinery.

When inserting needles into the body, the medical professional will be very careful, because if care is not taken then damage to tissue, muscle and organs can occur. If a female is pregnant then special care need to be taken as there has been proven scientific research that shows some acupuncture points can induce labor.

Summary

There are many acupuncture practitioners throughout the world who can carry out the treatment correctly, if done correctly a patient may feel positive effects to their medical condition. With acupuncture there is a lot of uncertainty over its strength to act as a medication or treatment that can resolve a persons condition, but even if it cant treat a condition it does act as a great placebo because of its effects on a persons levels of serotonin and endorphins.

Even if you're unsure about the possibilities of acupuncture resolving your medical problems, it can be a relaxing experience if nothing else.