Medical Keywords - Everything you need to know about health.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a treatment that can alleviate the symptoms of many physical and psychological problems, the theory behind acupuncture is that the needles are placed in special points of the body that will stimulate nerves in the body and encourage the body's natural defenses to heal and repair itself.

It has been reported that acupuncture can affect nearly every one of the bodies systems from the central nervous system and digestive system to the urinary tract and reproductive organs.

What medical conditions is acupuncture primarily used for?

Pain Relief - Acupuncture is widely used to relieve many different types of pain from muscular to skeletal. The reason why acupuncture is so affective against pain is because when someone is being treated with acupuncture, the endorphins and serotonin levels in the pain pathways of the central nervous system are raised affecting the way pain signals are received.

Irritable bowel syndrome or mild incontinence - It has been widely reported that acupuncture can effectively help the affects IBS or mild incontinence has on the bowel and bladder.

Allergies - There are many allergies like hay fever, eczema and many other allergic reactions. It has been said that acupuncture can reduce the tingling and itching sensations felt by those who suffer badly with allergies.

Smoking - A lot of people have said that acupuncture has helped them quit smoking, this can be because of the soothing feelings that occur during the treatment and the affects these have on a persons mind.

The medical conditions above only scratch the surface of what illnesses acupuncture can help.

History of acupuncture

Acupuncture is an old remedy used by the Chinese for over two and a half thousand years to promote and maintain good health.

It may be surprising to learn that the first ever acupuncture needles used were made of stone, these later evolved in to bronze then gold and finally silver before today's needles were developed.

The acupuncture of today is a descendant of Daoism philosophy dating back over 2000 years, this philosophy was written in text and described medical knowledge of the bodies organs and the meridian network, including where the acupuncture points are located in the body.

It may be surprisingly to learn that acupuncture did not cross the east west divide until the 20th century, in fact it was in the1970's when the people of Great Britain became interested in this interesting treatment and the affects it can have on the body. Due to the interest it has gained, a number of scientific studies have been carried out to look at acupunctures affects. There is still a lot of research needed to find out how successful acupuncture is in treating all the different conditions it is used for.

Since 1970 acupuncture has grown in stature and many people believe it is a credible treatment that they can use for so many different ailments. Even if you don't have an ailment, and you just want to improve your body's health then it can be worthwhile having a session of acupuncture.