Alcoholism has cost the United States around 175 billion dollars in terms of lost productivity and medical cost. The alcohol problem in the US is much greater than this country’s drug addiction problems. The conventional western approach to alcoholism is medications particularly tranquilizers and sedative and these drugs in turn lead to another problem – drug abuse. These medications help by incapacitating the person until his inebriation wanes. Sadly, these are the best solutions Western medicine can come up with these days.
Traditional Chinese medicine offers a much better solution for alcoholism. Acupuncture West Orange can play an important role in weaning the person off from his alcohol dependency. The objective of acupuncture is to treat the causes for the person’s alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is a serious habit because it impairs the psychological, emotional and physical aspect of the person. it often leads to degenerative diseases, arthritis, liver problems and cirrhosis not to mention the havoc it can wreak on a person’s social, professional and personal life. If left untreated, alcoholism can often lead to death.
Acupuncture is considered the best form of alternative treatment for alcohol abuse. It is also the safest way to treat alcohol addiction. In alcohol addiction, the organs affected are many. They include the nervous system, the kidneys, lungs and liver. The liver chi deficiency greatly affects the function of the nervous system.
Chi flows throughout the body through energy channels called meridians. Meridians often associate with a particular major organ. An alcoholic often has blockages in the meridians associated with the liver. The weak flow of chi in the liver produces an imbalance of chi which then affects the nervous system, kidneys and lungs. To rectify this problem, acupuncture needles are inserted to the meridians that have developed blockages to remove these blockages and allow chi to flow normally once more. The most common acupuncture technique for the treatment of alcoholism is auricular or ear acupuncture. The ear is inserted with a few needles on areas of the ear that correspond with specific meridians. Normally, the meridians treated in the ear the ones associated with the nervous system, liver, lungs and kidneys. The needles take away the blockage and activate the brain to release the body’s own pain killing chemicals called endorphins to mitigate the alcohol craving of the person.
The endorphin’s release into the bloodstream is important for lessening the severity of withdrawal. Withdrawals symptoms are signs that the body is seeking more endorphins to feel good. Several sessions may be required to treat alcohol dependency and may vary per person. Longer sessions are often for longtime alcohol users. Some of the more fortunate patients have had their normal lives brought back to them thanks to acupuncture
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