Accupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, (also known as Oriental Medicine or OM), has very early origins. This ancient form of medicine has not only endured for over 2000 years, but it has also evolved with time, so that today it offers a unique way to address many modern day health concerns and illnesses.
A TCM Practitioner not only specializes in Acupuncture, but also in the practices of Auriculotherapy, Herbal Medicine, Dietary Therapy, Tui Na (Chinese Therapeutic Massage, pronounced "Twee Na"), among other TCM-related therapies. Like other practices of medicine, it is well regulated on a number of levels (i.e. College certification; State Licensing; National Boards.) Here in South Carolina it is regulated by the Board of Medical Examiners.
So what does acupuncture really do? The classical Chinese explanation is that it works to balance and strengthen the body's energetic system. This may seem "foreign' to many of us who have grown up in a Western Science-based society, but we must remember that thousands of years ago they did not have the terminology that we have today (or the intimate knowledge of the human body and its anatomy and physiology), so many of the ancient theories were described using figurative concepts. These describe channels of energy that run in regular patterns throughout the body and over its surface. The channels serve organs and other tissues and can be influenced by stimulating specific acupuncture points.
These ideas do not seem quite so out of the ordinary when one starts to look at some of the possible modern scientific explanations. The needling of acupuncture points stimulates the body's nervous system to release certain chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These chemicals will either alter how somebody experiences pain or they will trigger an additional release of chemicals (e.g. hormones), which will in turn affect the body's internal regulating system. For this reason, we see acupuncture as a means of helping the body to help itself.
More and more research is being done today and the recognition of what acupuncture has to offer is growing as more people become aware of it and experience the benefits. The World Health Organization (2003) has declared that acupuncture can be used to treat numerous diseases, symptoms and conditions: To see the full list visit (www.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js4926e/5.html)
Below is a list of condensed diseases, symptoms or conditions from this site for which acupuncture has been proved-through controlled trials to be an effective treatment:
- Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
- Dental pain
- Depression
- Dysmenorrhea (primary)
- Facial pain
- Headaches
- Hypertension & Hypotension
- Knee pain
- Lower back pain
- Morning sickness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neck pain
- Post-operative pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sciatica
- Shoulder pain
- Sprains
- Stomach pain (acute), including peptic ulcers
- Strokes
So what can you expect from an acupuncture treatment? Acupuncture offers you the chance to not only resolve your initial complaint, but to also help strengthen your body and improve your general well-being. Of course, your particular response will depend on many factors including the nature of your condition, the general state of your health, and your willingness to participate in the whole process. Most conditions require an average of 6-12 treatments, though some respond well within 4-6 visits. Then there are always conditions where a longer series may be required. Lastly, during the course of treatment you may notice that seemingly unrelated problems clear up. These "minor complaints" often add up to a pattern of illness that can be successfully addressed by Traditional Chinese Medicine.