Acupunture Articles

Since 1982, acupuncture has found its way to the US. There are currently 50 schools that teach it and 3,000 licensed practitioners all over the country. Do you think you can be a licensed professional? Here are a few things to help you look for a good acupuncture school.

You should now that the 50 schools mentioned are all accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. It is recognized by the Department of Education and some of these schools even have a masters program.

Most of these schools can be found online so you can give them a call and ask certain questions about the school. You can find out the cost of tuition, the teacher student ratio, if the school offers consultation services to students and the alumni and if they have an extensive library which focuses on traditional Chinese medicine.

Should there be a school near where you live, you should probably take it so you don’t have to worry about boarding and lodging as this is just added cost to this long term investment.

If you like the school but cannot afford the cost of tuition, find out if they offer scholarships or if they have a grant in aid program. If there are none, then check with the federal government because they should have one and they will give it to deserving students who plan to enroll in a school accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Some states do not require you to get a license once you graduate from the program. However, if you plan to practice this elsewhere, you should prepare yourself for the state board exam as this is a requirement.

The lists of subjects you will be learning in school include anatomy, body therapy, massage therapy and the other sciences. Training will be done also in a clinical setting so you are able to put theory into practice but this will only happen in your third year.

While some schools will let you finish a program in three years, there are those that can be completed after five.

Lately, acupuncture school has also gone down the digital path by offering cyber distance programs for those who cannot go to school. Some of these offer CEU’s or continuing education units to advance programs.

These courses can be chosen on the basis of modules or on an hourly basis. The course material covers the history, theory and techniques of acupuncture. Courses that offer tools such as acupuncture DVD and video are ideal for acupuncturists or students of acupuncture to improve their clinical expertise.

Once you graduate from acupuncture school, some will open their own practice while others will first work for a clinic. Those who decide to be employed will work with other professionals that may include naturopaths, chiropractors and other specialists that are also into Oriental Medicine.

The average acupuncturist makes about $45,000 a year but this can change in the years to follow as they add years or experience under their belt. This just goes to show that if you work hard, you too will make a fortune. Just make sure that you do this properly for each patient because one mistake could make this all go away.

Have you ever had an uncontrollable urge to be pierced by a dozen needles? This is the image most people get when someone mentions the word “acupuncture”. It comes as no surprise that most view this technique with suspicion, even downright horror. The fact is, however, that this relatively painless ancient Chinese technique has helped relieve the symptoms of millions of people. Properly used, it can help in the management of many medical conditions including chronic pain and fatigue.

How does needle puncture work?

Practitioners of Chinese traditional medicine believe in energy flows. This energy, called Qi, circulates around the body using pathways called meridians. Meridians run very close to the surface of the skin in certain areas and can be accessed by needles. Much like plumbing, these pipes can get blocked or go the wrong way, causing health problems. The insertion of needles at these points is aimed to help loosen blocks and normalize flow.

It sounds like a made-up explanation with no basis in reality, but there are numerous scientific studies which support the effects of acupuncture. Although the exact scientific basis is still unknown, recent theories seem to suggest involvement of complicated neurochemical effects in the brain, nerve to spinal cord impulse modulation, and microscopic connective tissue changes.

What risks and side effects are of concern?

The use of things not completely understood for the treatment of medical conditions is nothing new. Penicillin and aspirin were used for decades solely on the basis of their beneficial effects, without doctors knowing exactly how they worked. Results are what are truly important. However, it is equally important is to ensure that the technique is used safely.

Like other strategies used in treating health conditions, acupuncture may have some side effects. Medications have side effects and allergic reactions, surgeries have risk of infection and complications. For needle puncture, there is a risk of injury, rare infections, minor bleeding, small bruises, and some dizziness.

You can minimize the possible side effects by choosing a licensed acupuncturist. Most countries either have government licensing in place or have professional organizations with very strict rules and regulations.

How do treatments go?

An acupuncturist will do an initial evaluation of your medical history and your body’s current state. Multiple pressure points are palpated, and a regimen of treatment is formulated. Most courses involve a series of 10 to 20 treatment sessions, each lasting 30 to 90 minutes. Needles will be carefully placed at the required points and kept in place for some time. Most patients report a feeling of mild sensation at the site of the puncture, but no real pain.

Right after each acupuncture session, you will feel a bit tired and may need to rest. Some people feel an increase in their energy levels. The response to acupuncture is very individual. In some cases there is immediate relief of symptoms. For some patients, the beneficial effects may only be noticed after undergoing a few sessions. Do not be alarmed and keep your acupuncturist updated on what you are feeling to ensure everything is going as expected.

You need never fear the thought of needles ever again. Acupuncture is a beneficial treatment with a long history of effectiveness. It is used to complement current medical therapy and should not replace currently existing medications or treatments.

The safe application of this once exclusively Chinese therapy can now be experienced by chronic disease sufferers worldwide.

Today’s world can fill the very busy individual with a lot of stress. Without some way of removing this stress from your system, you’re placing yourself in danger from a lot of stress-related diseases. You might suffer from insomnia or headaches or very serious heart diseases.

You could take anti-stress pills to help you relax but, like me, you might also be worried about the side effects these pills could have. The good news is that you could try acupuncture at least once to see if it could help you manage the stress. It certainly couldn’t hurt to try acupuncture if all you’re after is stress relief.

If you find it doesn’t work for you, then you can just easily stop taking acupuncture treatments. If it works, though, then you can say you’ve found a good treatment for stress that doesn’t rely on those dangerous chemicals and pills.

How does sticking needles into your body help manage the stress?

In traditional Chinese medicine, much of the treatments depend on an understanding of the balance in our bodies and its internal organs. The sicknesses we sometimes develop are seen to be caused by imbalances in our lifestyles and environment. Stress is also affected by this imbalance. That is why when there is something wrong with your body, you’d typically have less of an ability to deal with stress. You’d get more irritable and find it really to difficult to relax.

By sticking these very thin needles past the surface of our skin, the acupuncturist stimulates nerves in our body. These nerves send signals to our brain and scientists believe that the brain then releases its natural painkillers into our system. This immediately causes a feeling of relaxation for many people.

The needles could also help your body by stimulating its circulation. With the circulation between the organs of the body improved, a lot of the body’s wastes could be cleansed properly. Your organs would also receive the full benefit of the oxygen from your lungs making its way into the cells of your body without any blockages. This makes your organs much healthier and leaves you feeling much better in the long term as well.

You can think of a session with the acupuncturist as very much like massage therapy. A good massage would help give you a very relaxing sleep that night and an acupuncturist could help you with your sleep as well. You might immediately start to feel drowsy as soon as the right nerves are stimulated by the acupuncturist’s needles.

You might be asking yourself how you’d be able to relax if you’re suffering from the pain of the needles attached to your body. What you might not realize is that because of the thinness of the needles, you would hardly feel anything. The most that many people claim they feel is a kind of tingling feeling where the needles are. And that is actually a sign that the process is working,

Acupuncture is a practice that helps you use your bodies’ own ability to manage stress properly. This leaves you healthier, and more importantly, prevents any of the serious diseases that could come from unbalanced, stressful lifestyles.

It might not be something to replace regular trips to the doctor but with its many possible benefits, acupuncture might be worth trying out very soon.

Acupuncture comes from two Latin words namely “acus” which means needle in English and “pungere” which means prick. Its history originated in China more than 2000 years ago and has evolved into various forms.

Some of the techniques of acupuncture do not even use needles anymore. Vibrating objects, ultrasound and even the fingers of the practitioner have taken some of the work to make the person feel better.

The history of acupuncture is first discussed in an ancient Chinese medical text called the “Huang Di Nei Jing” or The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine.

But there have been a few who are skeptic as archaeologists have found a 5,000 year old mummy in the Alps with similar acupuncture points in the body. This gives some people the idea that it was used even before the Chinese did but sine there is no written text to prove that, no one is certain and credit to this ancient practice goes back to the Chinese.

In the 6th century, this knowledge moved to Japan. In the 17th century, a man by the name of Waichi Sugiyama wanted to make this procedure painless for the patient so he developed the insertion tube, a small cylindrical tube through which the needle is inserted. Believe it or not, this technique is still being used today.

But acupuncture only reached the US in the early 80’s with the establishment of a regulatory board called the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. As a result, various schools have been built and those who want to become licensed acupuncturists are now able to practice their profession.

Despite that, there were a lot of people who are not yet convinced on the positive effects of alternative forms of medication. It was only in 1995 that the US Food and Drug Administration decided to classify the needles used for acupuncture as medical instruments and assured the public that they are both safe and effective.

To further promote acupuncture, the NIH or National Institute of Health in 1997 has stated that this technique is very useful in treating various health conditions. These include ear, nose, throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal, eye, nervous system and muscular disorders. In some cases, acupuncture is able to prevent some of them from happening.

This was further strengthened by the fact that the side effects of acupuncture are much less than that of conventional drugs that are being sold by pharmaceutical companies.

So that people can avail of acupuncture, another recommendation by the NIH is for US companies to provide full coverage for certain conditions. If you do not quality, perhaps there is partial coverage which you should look up in your policy.

But despite that, more research needs to be done to see its effects on other health related problems. Some examples of these include addictions, autism, chronic low back pain, migraines and osteoarthritis of the knee.

If you look at the history of acupuncture, not much has changed since the needle technique used back then is still being used today. Even if various forms have developed through the years, one thing for sure is that it works.

In order for you to see how effective it is, you have to see a specialist who is not only qualified to treat your condition but also one is well trained.

Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years. Commonly used to treat bodily pains, acupuncture actually has a wide range of uses that range from addictions, to injuries, to disease prevention. If you are thinking about trying acupuncture, the following will give you a better idea of its many benefits.

Pain
Acupuncture is most commonly known to treat bodily pains such as muscular pains and arthritis. There are many types of arthritis, and each have a different acupuncture procedure. However, the healing effects may vary from person to person. Acupuncture for arthritis usually takes several sessions and takes a lot of cooperation your therapist for best results.

Other pain related ailments that can be cured by acupuncture are severe headaches and migraines, acute backaches, shoulder and neck aches, leg pains, trapped nerves, muscle related injuries, after surgery, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, menstrual pains, tooth aches, abdominal pains, and rheumatic pains.

Depression
Acupuncture is widely recommended for symptoms of depression and anxiety such as irritability, insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of interest in social activity and suicidal tendencies. Acupuncture is thought to relieve stress and improve flow of energy that may be causing the depressive symptoms. Improvement in symptoms can be seen as early as the first session. Experts have found acupuncture to be a beneficial complement to other forms of depression therapy such as psychological counseling, and healthier than chemical alternatives such as anti-depressants.

Insomnia
Acupuncture has become a popular alternative to common remedies such as sleeping pills. It works at the nerve levels, relaxing and soothing your senses. Acupuncture is thought to be a safer route for insomnia because it brings back your natural sleeping cycle through natural means and not through chemicals, which can turn into an addiction. Using acupuncture for insomnia usually starts working after the very first session. The treatment is usually stretched out for a period of time, until your body returns to its natural sleeping cycle.

Infertility
Studies show that acupuncture is a beneficial form of complementary therapy for women who are having undergoing treatments for fertility problem. Acupuncture is believed to relieve the anxiety of women undergoing fertility treatment. Also, acupuncture’s success in aiding fertility is more pronounced in in-vitro fertilization. In addition, the rate of miscarriages has been found to be lower for women who do acupuncture.

Others
The following are other ailments that acupuncture has been known to remedy:

· Menopausal problems such as hot flushes, infertility, and premenstrual tension.

· Bladder or bowel problems, difficulty or pain in urination, and urinary infections.

· Digestive disorders including nausea, indigestion, heartburn, and diarrhea.

· Respiratory problems such as rhinitis, hay fever, prickly heat, rashes and ulcers, eczema, and some types of dermatitis and psoriasis.

· Conditions of the eyes and mouth such as cataracts, dry eyes, conjunctivitis, retinitis and toothache, and post extraction pains.

· Heat problems such as poor circulation, stroke recovery, and hypertension.

· Addictions such as smoking, drinking, or other harder drugs.

If you as suffering from any of the ailments mentioned above, acupuncture may just be the remedy for you. Acupuncture is harmless, and is known to promote health and a sense of well-being. It is a healthy, chemical-free alternative to traditional forms of medical treatment.