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Acupuncture The history of the practice
Acupuncture The history of the practice
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Acupuncture and Its Benefits
Acupuncture has been a facet of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. More recently Western society has embraced the concept of acupuncture, and it is easier than ever to find a practitioner in most cities. The benefits of acupuncture range from headache relief to weight loss. Acupuncture may be a good choice for alternative or complementary treatment for these and many other conditions.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture encompasses inserting tiny needles into the skin along what the Chinese call, meridians. Meridians are lines of energy called qi that flow through the body. Blockages in these lines of energy are thought to cause health problems. Acupuncture is said to help eliminate any blockages and restore the natural balance of qi in the body.
Acupuncture for weight loss
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Ya patient should always follow the advice of his/her physician, but very often, acupuncture can be used to increase the effectiveness of standard medical treatment. Patients have reported improved energy and appetite while undergoing cancer treatments when supplemental acupuncture treatments are included in their treatment plans. Additionally, some patients even report a decrease in the adverse side effects of their medications when they get treated with acupuncture.
In Chinese medicine, the health benefits of acupuncture are well known, and it seems most Western cultures have only caught in the past 50 years or so. Acupuncture can serve as a stand-alone medical treatment, or it can function as a complementary treatment to traditional medicine. Either way, the benefits are clear, and there are virtually no side effects. To decide if acupuncture is the right treatment for any patient, consulting with the general practice physician is critical. They should point in the direction of a qualified acupuncturist with ease if the need
DiStasio states in her article that yoga has the root meaning of bind and join. She also states that yoga is used as a “union of mind, body, and spirit.” She explains that yoga could possibly be used as a complementary therapy for cancer patients, which will help the patients find their awareness of breath, they can seek relaxation during yoga meetings while also getting light exercise into their schedules and they are surrounded by people who can socially support them while understanding what they are going through. In another study conducted by Laurien M. Buffart and her affiliations, thirteen Randomized Controlled Trials were done and were focused on patients with lymphomas and breast cancer. Patients were put in yoga sessions, taught by experienced yoga instructors that involved physical poses, breathing techniques, and meditation. Patients were in sessions for thirty minutes before chemotherapy once every ten days. The results of their study showed that yoga does have beneficial effects on patient’s physical and psychosocial symptoms. I believe this study truly showed that we underestimate the psyche of patients that are being brought to the near brink of death just to live, and that something as calming and nurturing as practicing yoga can have small and large effects on these patients. Their study found changes in the patient’s stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue levels. These areas improved from a range of 22 to 89
...this alternative medicine in reinforcing the legitimacy of their work is that there are even discrepancies between them on exactly how to achieve the desired results. “One of the many methodological problems with auricular acupuncture is that there are so many maps of the ear and little agreement exists regarding point location, lacking definite anatomic stud on the ear skin and its somatotopic correspondences” (Gori 16). In order for this alternative method of treatment to become more mainstream and accepted as legitimate, more conclusive evidence and more consistent results across multiple studies, and more consistent application of the acupuncture itself must be achieved. Until that point, auricular acupuncture will continue to help persons who have experienced its benefits, but it will not receive the attention that a more proven treatment would by the masses.
Acupuncture is believed to be highly effective. In a nation-wide survey of acupuncture users, conducted by Dr. Claire M. Cassidy, 91.5% reported "disappearance" or "improvement" of symptoms after their treatment, 84% see their MDs less often, 79% use fewer prescription drugs, and 70% were able to avoid previously recommended surgery (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/AcuStats.htm). Said one man from San Francisco:
Public Health Reports (Interagency Team at NIMH and NIDA Studies How Acupuncture Works.) (1974-) , Vol. 95, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 1980), pp. 503-504
Effect upon arrival of qi, literally meaning pain is eliminated instantly when needling sensations are acquired after needle-insertion, is a familiar clinical fact when acupuncture is used for kinds of pain. Of course, such quick responses are not resulted from changes of humoral factors. There were similar successes duri...
In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.
By stimulating the largest organ in our body, that is the skin, cupping is believed to yield immense health benefits.[1] Chinese medicine works based on the principle of flow of energy, _qi_. Illnesses occur when there is a blockage in the flow of energy. Cupping aims at facilitating the free flow of energy to restore balance and healing. There are quite a handful of studies on cupping benefits, but most of them are inconclusive and call for further studies. Here are some of the conditions that could potentially be eased by cupping:
Mendelson G, Selwood TS, Kranz H, Loh TS, Kidson MA, Scott Ds. (1983). Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Medicine, 741), 49-55.
In conclusion, A Day in Acupuncture was an excellent experience. The author felt energized after her treatment. Recommendations made by Jane have been taken into consideration and some of them such as eating every 2-3 hours, water intake, and applying oil at onset headache are easily achievable. Diet, exercise and meditation are more time consuming, so is still a struggle to do, especially the elimination of caffeine and spicy food from diet. Yes, it is a battle but nevertheless a battle that is worth fighting if the result is no more migraine
Acupuncture originated in China and it has been practice for more than 2000 years now. This modality is considered the main treatment within the traditional Chinese medicine. Its main concept is the conviction that the body possesses hidden channels identified as meridians. These channels allows for the flow of energy which is considered a vital life force through all the body. Acupuncture modality believes that when this energy becomes obstructed or imbalanced, sickness and symptoms can build up. It is only when this energy becomes unblocked by stimulating focal points in the meridians that health can be achieved again (Cherry & Jacob, 2010).
These alternative treatments include acupuncture, meditation, and therapy among many others.There is growing evidence that the desire for alternative medicine is expanding because people undergoing procedures in today’s health care system has had unmet needs as well as feelings of being uncared for (Acari & Flanagan, 2015). Alternative medicine is able to provide patients with treatments that provide relief for hard to cure problems such as back pain, neck pain, and arthritis. Many of these alternative treatments have been shown to be successful for various problems. The use of complimentary and alternative medicine as well as the open ended communication that holistic nursing provides is gaining popularity from patients who are fed up with traditional care and hospital
A feasibility study.” The purpose of this small controlled study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture at decreasing neuropathic pain and improving health-related quality of life. The author 's hypothesis was that acupuncture would significantly reduce pain in these types of patients. This study involved only twelve participants from a podiatry clinic dedicated to teaching students. All participants had to be over 18 years old, diagnosed with diabetes and have a history of diabetes-related neuropathic pain for at least 3 months. Participants in this study completed assessment surveys before and after they were given acupuncture. Acupuncture was given five times during a four-week period. The surveys assessed the participants’ belief in the effectiveness of acupuncture, their quality of life, and current pain level. This study concluded that acupuncture did help reduce neuropathic pain in all the participants but it was not statistically significant. The self-reported belief in acupuncture survey showed a statistical difference in belief of the effects of acupuncture before and after a course of the intervention. This might be because most of the participants in this study reported The quality of life survey assessed six domains and all showed improvement. Although the
Complementary and alternative therapies are relatively new and essential options in health care, they help to increase the quality of life of patients and provide them with numerous possibilities to ensure growth of their health, beyond current medicine. Recently, these therapies, such as massage therapy and acupuncture, have become more prevalent in research. Consequently, their substitution with standard medicine in the healthcare system has been supported by the literature. The literature that supports these methods has explored why complementary therapies are needed, the different and distinct features of each therapy, and they also examine the education and knowledge those implementing the services must have. To accurately analyze if complementary and alternative therapies are valuable to the health care system, this paper will aim to learn why they are becoming predominant and why nurses should use these therapies’ to assist in improving the health of individuals. To determine the main attributes of these therapies, a variety of resources that extensively discuss complementary and alternative therapies will be examined and the paper will also examine the benefits and weaknesses they have on improving health. Lastly, this paper will aim to determine if these services should be implemented by nurses as alternative options for their patients, as nurses should have substantial knowledge pertaining to implementing these therapies.
Acupuncture doesn’t allow people to get ahead of themselves like Victor did; the way of thinking brought about is that of a natural sense. The techniques of the alternative medicine allow people to remember how magnificent and sacred the human body is and realize that it cannot be created through lab work or perfected through medicine. With Western medicine, patients can take up to four or five medications before finding one that suits their needs and most can have many life threatening side effects. With acupuncture, it is one procedure and one attempt to heal a patient with NO major side effects. Acupuncture is a unique ancient art that is backed by thousands of years of Chinese thought and research and has been proven affective for many people and their illnesses.
Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.