WHAT IS MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE?

Medical acupuncture is a term used to describe acupuncture performed by a doctor trained and licensed in Western medicine who has also had thorough training in acupuncture as a specialty practice.

The classical Chinese explanation for acupuncture is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these rivers is like a dam that backs up. Acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions and reestablish regular flow of energy through the meridians.

The modern scientific explanation for acupuncture is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either change the experience of pain or trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system.

Medical acupuncture can influence three areas of health:

- promotion of health and well-being
- prevention of illness
- treatment of various medical conditions

Medical acupuncture can be effective as the only treatment used, or as support to other medical treatment forms in many medical and surgical disorders.

- digestive disorders
- respiratory disorders
- neurological and muscular disorders
- urinary, menstrual and reproductive problems

Acupuncture is particularly useful in treating physical problems related to tension, stress and emotional conditions.