I know that I've mostly blogged about massage therapy and bodywork this past week and I've decided I'd like to swich gears a little bit today and explore the world of acupuncture. In fact, I think I'm going to switch gears overall as far as this blog is concerned.  Initiallly I had invisioned doing my blogs in a "series" format, meaning I would do a series of blogs about massage and bodywork, then a series on herbology or whatever.  Now I'm of the mindset that the world of alternative and complementary medicine is so vast, diversified and just plain interesting that it would be better to jump around a little more and explore different topics all the time.  That way you guys don't get bored and neither do I. Plus, every body walks to the beat of a different drummer, so one topic in alternative medicine may mean nothing to you, but to someone else, it's a perfect fit!  Of course, there will be topics that warrant more than one blog in a row because they are so complex, but in general, I think we'll try to explore something new everyday.

Ok, now back to an introduction to acupuncture.  I'll be honest, this is something that I know only a little about and is one of those topics I've always wanted to explore in depth and become more educated about.  Acupuncture, like many other forms of Chinese Medicine, has been practiced for thousands of years (over 5000 in this case).  In fact, the first formal record of the practice dates back 4700 years ago and can be found in what's believed to be the oldest medical textbook in the world, "Huang Di Nei Jing" (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine). Shen Nung, the father of chinese medicine, is credited with developing the earliest theories that became the basis of acupuncture.  He believed that the human body had an energy force known as Qi (say Chee) running throughout it and that this energy addressed all aspects of life including the physical, mental, emotional and the spiritual. Shen believed that when this energy flowed freely, the forces of Yin and Yang (the feminine and the masculine) were in balance and therefore the person remains healthy.  If the Qi was to become blocked, unbalanced, deficient or excessive, the Yin and Yang would become unbalanced and the person would become ill.

Shen Nung took this idea further, stating that Qi flows through the body along special pathways called meridians.  There are fourteen main meridians running verically up and down the body and they are the same (paired) on each side of side of the body.  Twelve of these meridians relate to the organs and two are unpaired in the center of the body.  There are certain places where the meridians come closest to the surface of the skin and these are the known as the acupuncture points because they are the easiest to access with acupunture needles, acupressure (a form of massage) and Moxibustion (the practice of using acupuncture with heat produced by burning certain herbs).  Inserting needles at these points restores the flow of Qi in the body and restores the balance between Yin and Yang (Yin in Yang is covered in more detail in the article on the linked website).

Modern acupuncturists typically use up to 6 different sized needles (this practice is not supposed to hurt at all.  The needles are VERY thin and only break through the surface of the skin, not puncture into the body) though only 6 are commonly used today.  Most practioners also now use disposable needles, rather than sterilizing and re-using them. The needles are inserted at angles ranging from 15 to 90 degrees in relation to the skin, depending on the particular treatment. The patient should feel a non-painful sensation called deqi (dah-chee) upon insertion of the needle.  The practioner will also apply a variety of techniques to the needle upon initial insertion, depending on treatment, such as Raising and Thrusting, Twirling or Rotation, Plucking, Scraping (vibrations sent through the needle), and Trembling (another vibration technique).  Acupunture is effective in treating a number of problems, including addictions, headaches, allergies, muscle spasms, and arthritis, to name a few.  There are also clinical trials studying the use of acupuncture to treat anxiety and depression.