Acupuncture is a branch of traditional medicine that has been practised in China and the Far East for thousands of years. It has been developed, tested, researched and refined over this time into a treatment option accessed by increasing numbers of patients in the West. Without the benefit of modern scientific equipment, the first acupuncturists discovered many now familiar aspects of biomedical science.
A growing body of evidence-based clinical research is discovering how the body responds to acupuncture and its benefits for a wide range of common health conditions. Many people have acupuncture to relieve specific aches and pains such as osteoarthritis of the knee, TMJ pain, headaches and low back pain, or for common health problems like an overactive bladder. Other people choose acupuncture when they can feel their bodily functions are out of balance but have no obvious western medical diagnosis.
In fact, acupuncture is able to offer patients relief from many physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, insomnia, menopausal symptoms, migraines, digestive disorders, fertility issues, respiratory conditions, post-Covid symptoms, fatigue, chronic pain conditions and more. Many people also have regular treatment simply for overall wellbeing, and because acupuncture makes them feel more mentally robust and able to cope with life’s stresses and strains.
All symptoms are seen as part of an interconnected pattern, and the focus for a traditional acupuncturist is on the whole patient as an individual, not just their specific illness. Treatment involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific acupuncture points in the channels, which according to ongoing research affects change within the human body. Acupuncture is said to affect the flow of your body’s qi, or vital energy, although as research develops, it is becoming apparent that the physiological effects of treatment may be much more complex.
