Acupuncture has been used as an ancient treatment method for centuries by the Chinese. Its popularity has recently spread to other parts of the globe, not just in Asian countries, but in the West. Acupuncture treatment uses needles that are inserted into certain points of the body. One of the much touted benefits of acupuncture is that patients are supposed to get relief from their health problems after this treatment.
There is however a deeper aspect to acupuncture than just relief from health problems and that is the spiritual side to it. This concept is that of the yin and yang which are opposing yet complimentary forces of energy; they work simultaneously so they must be controlled by acupuncture treatment.
From East to West
Acupuncture treatment got its due recognition in the United States sometime in 1971 when New York Times reporter James Reston shared a very graphic report regarding his research on acupuncture in China. Acupuncture treatment has now been regulated in the United States by the FDA to ensure proper guidelines are followed by those who practice it and to protect the patients who use it. Under FDA guidelines, sterilized acupuncture needles should be used only once which are inserted by qualified acupuncturists, and then they must be discarded after.
As mentioned earlier, acupuncture treatment revolves around the concept that the body has energy constantly flowing through it such that when you have diseases, an imbalance of this energy occurs. This is why acupuncture treatment requires that needles are inserted into specific parts of the body. After insertion, these needles cause the release of endorphins that relieve pain and stress. Chinese acupuncturists have been able to discover pathways in the human body that conduct energy throughout the body and when a pathway becomes blocked, this is where acupuncture treatment comes in. It can unblock these pathways hence restoring a person’s health and well-being.
Traditional Chinese medicine, in which acupuncture treatment is considered, views health as a marriage of yin and yang in the body. Yin and yang, contrasting forces that work together, can be compared to the common binaries in life: dark/light, male/female, or high/low. Acupuncture therapy in the West in effect, becomes a merging of the East/West, yin/yang, which makes it a fascinating healing art. Quite a few people still consider acupuncture treatment as a mere myth; however, the years of scientific research have proven it as an effective treatment of several health problems.
