HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK?
Acupuncturists discuss how acupuncture works with the traditional Oriental concepts of Yin, Yang, Blood and Qi. In Chinese, there are more than 20 definitions of qi. It is loosely translated to mean the vital force with which your entire body functions. Acupuncture functions to regulate qi which in turn regulates all bodily functions and the other substances such as Yin, Yang and Blood. Traditional Oriental Medicine looks at health from a holistic viewpoint. Imbalances can result from a wide variety of factors including acute or chronic stress, accidents, genetic predisposition, lifestyle choices, medications, and environmental factors. Acupuncture works by balancing the body which has been disrupted by these factors.
Recently much research has been done to figure out how acupuncture works in terms defined by western medicine and vocabulary. Acupuncture has been shown to alter the way the body functions by affecting the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, the cardiovascular system, the immune system and more. For example, acupuncture stimulates the release of chemicals created naturally in the body that reduce pain. Acupuncture has been shown elevate healing substances such as Adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP) by 5 times. This affords your body greater cellular currency to repair following injury, a disease processes, or surgery. Many other substances such as pain modulating chemicals, and hormones have shown to be affected by acupuncture as well.
An advantage of acupuncture is that it treats both the symptoms and the underlying causes of illness. When the cause of illness is addressed, the entire system benefits and thus, seemingly unrelated symptoms may be resolved or prevented.
