Acupuncture is a treatment that involves piercing the skin with extremely fine needles.
It is used to relieve symptoms of some physical and psychological conditions and may encourage the body's ability to heal itself.
It has been used in China for over two thousand years, and has increasingly been used in the West since the 1970s.
Over the past thirty years there has been considerable scientific research into acupuncture and we are now beginning to understand how it works. We can be sure that the effects of acupuncture are not all in the mind. It is increasingly being used alongside conventional medicine.
The distinction between complementary, or alternative, medicine and orthodox medicine is becoming blurred as the benefits of acupuncture become accepted by conventional doctors. Acupuncture is used in the vast majority of NHS pain clinics and is being offered by an ever increasing number of GPs and hospital doctors.
It is used to relieve symptoms of some physical and psychological conditions and may encourage the body's ability to heal itself.
It has been used in China for over two thousand years, and has increasingly been used in the West since the 1970s.
Over the past thirty years there has been considerable scientific research into acupuncture and we are now beginning to understand how it works. We can be sure that the effects of acupuncture are not all in the mind. It is increasingly being used alongside conventional medicine.
The distinction between complementary, or alternative, medicine and orthodox medicine is becoming blurred as the benefits of acupuncture become accepted by conventional doctors. Acupuncture is used in the vast majority of NHS pain clinics and is being offered by an ever increasing number of GPs and hospital doctors.
What is acupuncture?
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese acupuncture is based on an ancient system of medicine originating in the East thousands of years ago.
Key components include the concept of Qi (pronounced 'Chee') or energy flowing throughout the body along channels or 'meridians'.
Balance and harmony are integral to the concept of health and any obstruction to the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body can cause disease.
Key components include the concept of Qi (pronounced 'Chee') or energy flowing throughout the body along channels or 'meridians'.
Balance and harmony are integral to the concept of health and any obstruction to the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body can cause disease.
The Lung (LU) and Large Intestine (LI) meridians
The concept of harmony is also represented in the balance between Yin and Yang. The principle that everyone is governed by the opposing but complementary forces of Yin and Yang is central to Chinese philosophy.
Western Medical Acupuncture
Western Medical Acupuncture builds on the traditional knowledge and immense experience of the Chinese by adapting it using our current knowledge of anatomy, along with the principles of evidence based medicine. Less importance is placed on the traditional concepts of Qi, Yin and Yang. Instead, acupuncture is seen to act primarily by stimulating the nervous system and by its ability to stimulate the release of a wide variety of chemicals and hormones in the body.
Though traditional acupuncture points are commonly used, points are also selected because they are trigger points, or because they connect to the part of the body being treated via the spinal cord (segmental acupuncture).1
1. White A and Editorial Board of Acupuncture in Medicine. Western Medical Acupuncture: a definition. Acupuncture in Medicine 2009; 27: 33-5.
Though traditional acupuncture points are commonly used, points are also selected because they are trigger points, or because they connect to the part of the body being treated via the spinal cord (segmental acupuncture).1
1. White A and Editorial Board of Acupuncture in Medicine. Western Medical Acupuncture: a definition. Acupuncture in Medicine 2009; 27: 33-5.