Comprehending the Many Ways that Acupuncture Works

Diseased states occur frequently in the body for a lot of reasons. They could included trauma, toxicity, or dysfunction of the body's internal machine. Our mind-set can affect the physical aspects of our body when there's emotional turmoil. Physical and emotional problems can affect the external part of a body like skin and muscle tissue. This can leave you with sensitive and/or sore tense areas. Traditional Chinese Medicine created a system of treatment that uses these points both for diagnosis and treatment. By manipulating those outer layers of tissue, Acupuncture and other therapies can help internal conditions. Oriental medicine has been using Acupuncture for centuries. Modern medicine is just beginning to explain its effectiveness.

A Modern Medicine Perspective

These are a couple of of the known mechanisms that contemporary allopathic medicine recognizes. There continue to be other possibilities suggested from ongoing investigation.

Biochemical Defense Mechanism: A site of injury at the cellular level is formed when the prick of the acupuncture needle is used. Once the body feels the injury, it releases chemicals vital to cellular repair. The tissue and cellular biochemical defenses are initiated by the acupuncture needle. This helps to reduce local inflammation and relieve pain.

Endorphins: A pain lowering chemical released by the body. Also known as 'anti-stress' chemicals which were released by Acupuncture.

Gate Control Theory: The spinal cord sends the peripheral pain location into the brain. A mechanism in the spinal cord, or 'gate' stops pain messages from reaching the brain. Acupuncture can close this 'gate' while using manual manipulation of a needle lessening the sensation of pain. Endorphins (above) also can block pain pathways by working on these gates.

Electrical Conduction: The various acupuncture points have be noticed to give off unlike electrical potentials than the other areas of the body. It's not exactly known why these different electric points exist. Research has suggested that acupuncture impacts electrical conduction in the body. Research into this event continues.

Autonomic Nervous System:
The autonomic nervous system is the cause of coordinating and conducting all of a body's reflex functions. Acupuncture and tuina "turn on" the conserving, healing function of the autonomic nervous system while overriding the fight-or-flight function which, when overactive, puts a great deal of wear and tear on our bodies and minds.

Trigger Point Theory: Through clinical research, western physicians have discovered specific points of tension in a body that, when released, are particularly effective in the alleviation of musculo-skeletal pain. The locations of these points correlate considerably while using the acupuncture points of Oriental medicine. Acupuncturists in Colorado can also do injection therapy (of vitamins, saline or herbal solutions) which is an especially effective method for treating Trigger Points.

An Oriental Medicine Perspective

Oriental remedies see its effectiveness as an energetic model instead of the biochemical model of Western medicine. Oriental doctors from ancient times called that life-fore Qi (Chee) in Chinese. This Qi circulates through meridians, or channels, in the body and is connected together. Qi maintains and nurtures our physical body as well as our mind. It keeps the blood circulating, warms the body and fights disease. When healthy, Qi flows easily but when it's blocked, or too much or too little, symptoms and sickness follow.

The aim of acupuncture is to repair the flow through the channels by using needles or other techniques. Changes in functions of this body are achieved by doing this. Changes in Qi precede physical change, so acupuncture and tuina can act as preventive medicine, correcting energy flow before a significant illness occurs. If physical change has already occurred, it may be reversed by adjusting the flow of Qi.