Acupuncture: Thousands of Years in the Making
Not many medicines can profess a history dating back nearly five thousand years, but acupuncture can. Acupuncture has been found to be used through out history starting from at least five thousand years ago; this was proved by a mummy found in the Alp mountain range that carried tattoos of acupuncture points at area of the body, which are used for the conditions, the mummy was suffering with. There has also been cave dwellings found with pictures carved into the wall of acupuncture treatments predating the birth of Jesus.
It is believed, and agreed that acupuncture originates from ancient china; it is believed it then spread through the east before finally finding the western world via Europe, which wasn’t until recent years.
Because acupuncture has been used for thousands of years it has had a huge head start on a wide variety of different medicines and has evolved over the years to become the most refined, and used holistic treatment available today.
So what is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the art of diverting the flow of what the Chinese call Qi, Qi is the body’s natural energy and can be found in every living being. The Qi is diverted to the area that is causing a problem; this is done because the Chinese of old believed that any condition in the human body was a deficit in Qi found in the area concerned.
How is acupuncture done?
Acupuncture is applied by inserting many tiny needles into the acupuncture points in the body. There is a belief that the needles only need to be put in the points near the affected area, but this is incorrect. The needles will be entered in points all over the body, no matter what part of the body is affected.
Contrary to belief the needles do not hurt when they are inserted into the skin, although care does need to be taken as they can damage organs and tissue under the skin if not inserted correctly, this is why it is important to see a real acupuncture therapist.
Medicinal qualities
Acupuncture has been proven to work on numerous medical conditions, while also proven to not work on other medical conditions. The conditions and symptoms acupuncture works best on are those affected by the chemicals released by the brain and central nervous system, like pain and anxiety. The reason acupuncture is great at combating issues such as these is because it helps release the chemicals found in the central nervous system called Serotonin and Endorphins. Serotonin and Endorphins control the mood of a person and also the pain receptors in the body, this means the more of these chemicals are released, the happier and less pain people will feel.
Whichever way you look at acupuncture it is a treatment steeped in glorious history, and also works extremely well in some cases. There are many people that swear by acupuncture, not only for its medicinal purposes, but also for its ability to reduce stress and make people feel better within them.
