Acupuncture: What is Acupuncture?

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine-based approach to treating a variety of conditions by triggering specific points on the skin with needles. Paul Kempisty, licensed acupuncturist with a MS in traditional Oriental medicine, explains, “[Acupuncture is] a minimally invasive method to stimulate nerve-rich areas of the skin surface in order to influence tissues, gland, organs, and various functions of the body.”

“Each acupuncture needle produces a tiny injury at the insertion site, and although it’s slight enough to cause little to no discomfort, it’s enough of a signal to let the body know it needs to respond,” Kempisty says. “This response involves stimulation of the immune system, promoting circulation to the area, wound healing, and pain modulation.” Contemporary research on acupuncture relies mainly on this theory.

Acupuncture is a range of procedures all of which involve stimulating anatomical points or meridians on the body using different techniques. However, acupuncture can also include electro-acupuncture in which the needles are stimulated by electrical current, ear acupuncture, cupping, and moxibustion, in which the mugwort herb is burned on the end of the acupuncture needles.

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What’s the philosophy behind acupuncture?

The Chinese philosophy behind acupuncture is a bit more complicated, as the ancient practice isn’t traditionally based in science and medicine. “They believed that the human body was filled with and animated by an invisible life-giving force which they called ‘qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’) and when the qi was flowing well and going to all the right places, then a person would experience good mental and physical health. When the qi was flowing incorrectly (blocked or deficient) that would result in illness,” says Kempisty.
The concept of qi isn’t too out there — think of it as your body’s natural inner workings. Sometimes you’re more prone to illness when feeling stressed or anxious. When you’re relaxed and healthy, your body physically reflects that too. After all, your mood, mental health, and general well-being do affect your physical health. Thus, acupuncture aims to assist people in achieving balance, or qi, and, as a result, provide relief for many ailments.

What does acupuncture do?

There are countless conditions and symptoms that Acupuncture can help wit, Durham Acupuncture TCM Clinic offer relief for the following:

Joint and muscle pain
Manage weight issues
Facial rejuvenation.
Allergies and asthma
Anxiety and depression
Rheumatism arthritis
Hypertension
Insomnia
Menstrual cramps
Menopausal syndrome
Fertility and sterility
Morning sickness
Prostatitis
Headache and migraines
Sprains
After stroke rehabilitation
Facial paralysis
Trigeminal neuralgia
Sciatica
Stiff neck
Acne
Indigestion
Colitis and constipation
Cancer pain
Diabetes
Tennis elbow and sports injuries
Frozen shoulder
Tendinitis, bursitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Quit smoke
Alcohol dependence

While there’s no evidence that acupuncture is a miracle cure-all, it does seem to have some evidence as a worth-while treatment for people who may have multiple conditions and illnesses. There’s a reason it’s been around for more than 2,500 years and as research grows, so will our knowledge of exactly what works and what does.