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How To Know If Acupuncture Is Right For You

Posted Friday, May 13th, 2016 by

acupuncture, traditional chinese medicine

Alternative medicine consists of methods which are not a part of Western medicine but they’re known to have healing effects on the mind and body. Although not really supported by the mainstream scientific community, alternative medicine has become very popular in recent times as more people become aware of the side effects of Western medicine including ones which have been considered harmless for a long time such as aspirin and ibuprofen etc. One of the most popular forms of the alternative healing process is acupuncture which is itself a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Traditional Chinese Medicine has been developed over thousands of years and it has a rich recorded history of people getting relief from different kinds of pain and illness. As it is a form of therapy, smaller issues can be easily resolved in a few sessions while chronic problems need long-term management.

Acupuncture is an important part of alternative medicine in which very thin needles are inserted at specific points in the body by a skilled practitioner, it is used frequently as a treatment to relief chronic pain. A very important question which arises often is if acupuncture is for everyone or should only a select group of people undergoes it. Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the most respected places of medical education in the western hemisphere. In one of the articles published at the Website of Harvard Medical School [Link], Dr. Chen explains that acupuncture adjusts the imbalance in hormone levels and our body’s neurotransmitters. The article then goes on to quote the results of a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine saying that there is evidence of acupuncture providing relief against many forms of pain.

The same article from Harvard Medical School suggests acupuncture a worthy alternative for those who’ve tried conventional medicine but they seek better results. Dr. Chen from the same study said that the people who intend to seek care from a certified practitioner should get a diagnosis to figure out the reason behind their pain. If they don’t have any serious medical conditions which need to be treated right away then it’s alright to seek alternative treatments such as acupuncture for pain relief. Patients suffering from problems, such as osteoarthritis, also get relief from pain by acupuncture even though the underlying cause is not treated. So, anyone who isn’t suffering from an urgent condition is a suitable candidate for acupuncture according to doctors from Harvard Medical School.

MindBodyGreen is a website which is renowned for the promotion of causes which aim to improve the overall life and well-being of its readers. The website features content from experts in different fields. One article on MindBodyGreen [Link] by Dr. Daniel Hsu mentions different conditions which help explain the kind of people who should try acupuncture for a wide variety of conditions.

Dr. Hsu recommends people suffering from allergies to follow a treatment of acupuncture in combination with herbal medicines which wouldn’t just treat the allergic reactions but the underlying causes in the immune system as well. An improvement in the immune system doesn’t just treat the severity or the rate of allergic reactions but it also improves the overall health of the person undergoing this treatment.

Dr. Hsu goes on to explain the effect of acupuncture in helping people shed some weight. He tells that a specific part of our brain, the hypothalamus, controls all our desires. Acupuncture can help stimulate the hypothalamus to regulate its demand for food along with the elimination of a stress hormone, cortisol, which stores fat. This makes acupuncture a great fit for individuals looking to lose some extra pounds they’ve been carrying around.

One of the most painful medical procedures is chemotherapy but unfortunately this is the often only treatment available for some of the worst kinds of cancers. Chemotherapy brings a host of side-effects with it including constant fatigue, nausea along with many others. Acupuncture helps in activating the release of chemicals, from the brain, which ends the pain. This is a great way of providing some relief to the patients who’re constantly undergoing a painful procedure and this can be done without the use of needles by the use of instruments like a cold laser. This really makes acupuncture the right choice for many of those who suffer from the painful results of chemotherapy.

Dr. Hsu reports that acupuncture is also a great treatment for infertility by treating the causes which bring infertility in the first place. Stress and an imbalance in hormones are often the primary causes which result in infertility. Acupuncture tries to maintain the balance between hormones and reduce the levels of stress which help in providing a cure for stress.

People who’re trying to quit smoking often go through many painful phases of withdrawal such as intense craving for a cigarette, a deterioration in sleep quality, constant headaches and difficulty in maintaining concentration. Acupuncture, according to Dr. Hsu, helps in reducing the cravings to have a cigarette and diminishes the impact of withdrawal symptoms and the process of quitting smoking becomes much easier when there is no itching or craving for a cigarette.

Mayo Clinic is a respected name in the world of healthcare and their website has a number of articles discussing all kinds of medical problems and how acupuncture can help in the alleviation of a large number of these problems. They recommend acupuncture for people who’re having trouble getting relief from pain by traditional means and it is one of the few procedures where there are no harmful side-effects.

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