LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Acupuncture
built 644 days ago
Acupuncture is an old therapeutic method that includes both needle and nonneedle acupuncture. Nonneedle acupuncture includes moxibustion, cupping, and acupressure. In the field of dermatology, acupuncture has been reported to be beneficial for the treatment of acne, postherpetic neuralgia, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria. In acupuncture treatment of dermal diseases, both the filiform needle and the cutaneous needle are powerful tools. In the treatment of refractory dermal diseases, cutaneous needle acupuncture is usually followed by cupping to intensify the therapeutic effect. In cases where needle acupuncture is not possible, acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a good alternative.
Source:
Acupuncture is thought to restore health by removing energy imbalances and blockages in the body. Practitioners of TCM believe that there is a vital force or energy called qi(pronounced "chee") that flows through the body, and between the skin surface and the internal organs, along channels or pathways called meridians. There are 12 major and 8 minor meridians. Qi regulates the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical harmony of the body by keeping the forces of yin and yang in balance. Yang is a principle of heat, activity, brightness, outwardness, while yin represents coldness, passivity, darkness, interiority, etc. TCM does not try to eliminate either yin or yang, but to keep them in harmonious balance.
Source:
Acupuncture originated in China over 3000 years ago. It is based on the belief that health is determined by a balanced flow of qi (pronounced chee), the vital life energy present in all living organisms. Qi circulates through the body along twelve major energy pathways, called meridians. Each meridian is linked to specific internal organs and organ systems. There are hundreds of acupoints within the meridian system that can be stimulated to enhance the flow of qi. When you are healthy, the qi flows smoothly.
Source:
Acupuncture is now being used for aging primates! You heard it here first. The keepers at the North Carolina Zoo are tending to monkeys with osteoarthritis. Instead of continuing to increase the monkeys' medications every year, the vets decided to try acupuncture as an alternative treatment. If they find success, they plan on treating more primates. Which animals are next in line?
Source:
Acupuncture was virtually unknown in the United States prior to President Nixon's trip to China in 1972. A reporter for the New York Timesnamed James Reston wrote a story for the newspaper about the doctors in Beijing who used acupuncture to relieve his pain following abdominal surgery. By 1993, Americans were making 12 million visits per year to acupuncturists, and spending $500 million annually on acupuncture treatments. By 1995, there were an estimated 10,000 certified acupuncturists practicing in the United States; as of 2000, there were 20,000. About a third of the credentialed acupuncturists in the United States as of 2002 are MDs.
Source:
Acupuncture is often conducted in combination with Moxibustion. Moxibustion is the process where moxa sticks, made of dry moxa leaves (Artemisia vulgaris) is ignited and held about an inch above the patients’s skin over specific acupuncture points. Moxa is available in a loose form that can be used for making moxa cones. Alternatively, moxa is packed and rolled in a long stick like a large cigar, about 15-20 cm long and about 1-2 cm in diameter. The purpose of this process is to warm the qi and blood in the channels. Moxibustion is most commonly used when there is the requirement to expel cold and damp or to tonify the qi and blood.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Acupuncture