For tens or even hundreds of millions of people around the world, acupuncture Maitland is their standard treatment for pain. The acupuncturist treats painful conditions by inserting ultra thin needles into selected points on the body. This wonderful treatment was first utilized in China more than two millennia ago. It first caught the public’s attention in the United States in 1971 as it was used successfully in relieving post surgical pain.
Chinese belief in acupuncture is based on the body’s constitution. Traditional Chinese medicine which acupuncture is a part of believes that the body possesses two naturally opposing forces in the universe, very similar to the opposing but complementary forces of negative and positive energy in electricity. These two forces in the body are called yin and yang. Yin is passive (negative) while yang is active (positive).
TCM also believes in a primal energy that flows continuously throughout the body. This energy is called chi by the Chinese. This chi flows through energy vessels called meridians and each meridian corresponds to a particular organ or set of organs in the body. Uninterrupted normal flow of chi brings harmonious balance to yin and yang providing the body with good health. Any disruption in chi flow causes imbalance in yin and yang and this in turn leads to illness.
Chi can be controlled via around 450 acupuncture points scattered around the body. They are all connected to different meridians. These points are located just underneath the skin’s surface. To manipulate blocked chi to let it flow normally once again unimpeded the acupuncturist inserts fliform needles into selected acupuncture points through various ways.
Western medical science explains the mechanics of acupuncture in a different way. The most popular theory explains that opioids are released into the bloodstream affecting the central nervous system, and help relieve pain. Acupuncture has the ability to stimulate nerves in the spinal column and this causes the release of these opioids to remove or lessen pain. Studies have revealed this to be true as acupuncture has shown to elevate the threshold of pain of people.
Another widely accepted Western medical science theory is the propensity of acupuncture to improve blood flow on the sites being treated. The enhanced flow of blood carries nutrients to the body and at the same time washes away the toxins in the body. Some western scientists have also discovered that acupuncture points are capable of carrying electromagnetic signals (energy). The needles energize the acupuncture points and this effect greatly empowers the electromagnetic energy which brings about effects leading to the production and release of natural painkillers like endorphins to the injured sites on the body providing pain relief. Acupuncture’s benefits have been thoroughly documented and that is why the World Health Organization and the US National Institutes of Health has found it fitting to endorse acupuncture as a valid treatment for several types of health conditions.