Acupuncture is one treatment tool under the umbrella practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This treatment involves very fine needles being inserted into precise points over the body known as acupuncture points. The exact point combination used during a treatment is derived from a process of investigation by the acupuncturist and points are mostly located on the feet, hands, arms, legs and back.
What is Acupuncture?
How does Acupuncture work?
The benefits and mechanisms of acupuncture can be considered in two ways.
The first is from a western health perspective - when pressure is applied or a needle is inserted into acupuncture points, the body responds with a range of physiological reactions, including those co-ordinated by the nervous system (brain and nerves), cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) and musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, joints, tendons etc). As such it can be beneficial for a wide range of things. Click here to find out more.
The second is from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective which very simply defines health as a state of being where energy (known as Qi) flows around the body and between a person’s body and environment without blockage. Therefore, when someone is in ill-health or the body is not functioning as it should, and a person presents with symptoms, Qi is not flowing correctly. To determine treatment, the practitioner must find where this energetic blockage or imbalance is and correct the flow, stimulating the body’s own innate healing mechanisms. TCM is an age-old practice with the earliest known written records over 2,300 years old.