Easy Acupuncture

We all know something about biorhythms. Basically, a biorhythm is an internal clock that regulates our bodies in relation to the daily positions of the sun, and the monthly positions of the moon. This can be seen in the time it takes our bodies to adjust to small changes, such as the changes of daylight savings time, or in large changes, such as jet lag. Our understanding of and interest in biorhythms has been recent, within the last thirty or forty years. The ancient Chinese observed this connection between our bodies and the planets many centuries ago, and use it in their practice of acupuncture. They list a number of different biorhythms, from the normal twenty four hour cycle up through longer several day periods. All of these are used to follow and influence fluctuations in body energy. In acupuncture, this energy circulates through each part of the body throughout the day, each organ having a two hour time for maximum energy and a time for minimum energy. For example, the major organs have their maximum energy in the following order: first the liver, then the lungs, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, etc., in sequence, for all of the twelve major organs. This order was discovered by years of observing the times of day that the disorders of the various organs displayed their worst symptoms. The acupuncture practitioner can use the times of a patient’s symptoms to help determine which organs and energy channels are affected, and also help select the favorable times to treat the patient. For example, many of the worst asthma attacks take place during the wee hours, which is the maximum energy period of the lungs. The best time to treat these cases is at a time as close to this time as possible. In the science behind acupuncture, a symptom may be caused by too much energy at an organ, and other symptoms by an insufficient amount of energy. (The determination of which symptoms fall into which category has been catalogued over many centuries, and there are many books on acupuncture detailing these for each of the major organs.) The best time to treat a symptom associated with too much energy is during its maximum energy output, and a symptom with a deficiency in energy is just after the maximum output is over. Of course, it may not be possible to get to your practitioner at those particular times, and there are also other good choices at other times of the day. In addition to the daily biorhythm, there are also ten day intervals associated with the moon, and so the acupuncture practitioner might strongly suggest that a particular day would be better for treatment than another, based on the particular symptoms reported. Each day of the ten days is associated with one of two aspects of the Qi energy, and also associated with one of five elements. Particular organs are associated with particular elements, and so stimulation of these organs will be more successful on those days associated with the correct element. It is important for us to take note of the times our symptoms occur as well as what our symptoms are, for that is important information in our acupuncture treatment plan. And know that the time and dates for our treatments are an important part of how well the treatment works.

It is surprising to many people that a large and growing number of traditional physicians support the use of and practice of acupuncture techniques. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture was organized by physicians who want to further the use of acupuncture in regular medical treatment. The Academy was founded nearly twenty years ago by a group of physicians trained in acupuncture, which graduated from courses sponsored by the UCLA School of Medicine. It used to be that acupuncture practitioners had vast knowledge of the traditional acupuncture techniques and philosophy, but little or no training in traditional western medicine. At the other end of the medical spectrum were physicians, who knew nothing about traditional Chinese medicine, and looked with some doubt on the claims of acupuncture treatment. However, a number of studies and experiments showed that acupuncture gave consistently good results in a number of areas, and so physicians started referring their patients for particular problems, such as persistent pain. After some time traditional physicians starting learning and using acupuncture techniques as part of their own methods of treatment. In addition to the techniques, they learned the long history behind the current acupuncture techniques. The Academy (known as AAMA) is important to both physicians and patients, for members of the AAMA meet the highest standards for both traditional medicine and certified acupuncture practitioners. Most patients implicitly trust physicians, both for their extensive training and for their high standards of practice. They extend both of these to the practice of acupuncture within their offices. One of the goals of the AAMA is to spread knowledge and appreciation of acupuncture to other physicians and health professionals that presently know little about its use. Most physicians in hospitals have heard of the possible use of acupuncture instead of anesthesia, but it is also becoming more accepted in other areas, such as minimizing pain and nausea for the patient once the operation is over and the patient is in the recovery room. Acupuncture also has some interesting uses possible in emergency room treatments. The AAMA is also very dedicated to pursuing research and studies into new applications for acupuncture in both the hospital and physician office settings. It is especially interested in researchers to look into the fundamentals of why certain acupuncture techniques are as successful as they are. In other words, many doctors want a traditional medical explanation of the process that the acupuncture treatment starts. It seems that a simple insertion of a number of needles is a mystifying way to accomplish the results, and there is a good deal of research into how to exactly explain the mechanisms that occur. Doctors who do research into these areas may publish their results in a magazine called Medical Acupuncture, the official journal of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. These magazine presents authoritative papers, case reports, and research findings that integrate concepts from traditional and modern forms of acupuncture with Western medical training. This publication covers the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in pain relief, cancer, stroke, pulmonology, urology, OB/GYN, gastroenterology, and much more. The existence of a large and growing numbers of qualified physicians that are also trained acupuncturists guarantees that the benefits of each discipline will continue to make current American health practice better for the patients.

Finding an acupuncture practitioner is much easier now that it is a much more common means of therapy. You can find one the same way you find a dentist, by simply looking on the internet, in the phone book, or asking one of your friends that is knowledgeable about current health advances. There are several national acupuncture organizations on the Internet, and you can look up your locality by state and city. You can also ask your family physician, for more and more doctors are referring their patients to an acupuncture clinic for the treatment of certain problems. You might be even more surprised to find that your doctor or internist may have training in acupuncture themselves, or one of the associated therapies. Once you find several acupuncture practitioners in your area, you should make sure to check their credentials. This is always a good idea for you to do for all of your health support team, from your internist to your dentist. Not all states have established training standards required for acupuncture certification, but if yours does, ask the acupuncture practitioner about their training, background, and certifications. Although a certification does not ensure an excellent practitioner, you are at least assured that they have had sufficient training in the area. Do not rely on your practitioner to diagnose a disease unless they have conventional medical training. An acupuncturist is well trained to observe and address symptoms, but the Chinese medicine behind acupuncture is not particularly concerned about naming a specific disease. If you have significant symptoms that you feel needs a precise diagnosis, rely on a trained doctor. As mentioned earlier, your doctor may encourage you to seek the services of an acupuncture clinic to address certain symptoms that you may have. Once you have found out the background of the acupuncture practitioners, the decision to select one is similar to the decision that you use to select a dentist. You may have friends that recommend them, you may schedule an initial visit and see how you feel at the office, etc. The remainder of the decision is more on how comfortable you feel with that acupuncture practitioner. The initial visit will consist of a diagnosis, where you will talk at length with the practitioner, and that will give you a very good indication of whether you are comfortable or not. The cost of the treatments will be discussed after your diagnosis. The number of treatments will depend on your set of symptoms and your overall health. The acupuncture practitioner should discuss this before the series of treatments start. Some symptoms only require a few treatments, whereas others may stretch over a series of weeks. Typically, physicians that are also trained in acupuncture will charge more than nonphysicians. Your insurance may cover visits to the acupuncture clinic, but you should contact them first and discuss your individual case. Make sure to mention whether it is a referral from your physician, if indeed it is. This introduction has hopefully given you the information you need to confidently find and schedule your first acupuncture clinic visit!

Allergies are a condition when the body becomes hypersensitive to an external object. The symptoms of allergies vary from person to person. Symptoms may include watery ot red eyes, skin irritation and rashes, breathing problems and weakness. Once diagnosed, the best treatment for any kind of allergy is to avoid exposing the body to the object that provokes allergy. There are many ways by which allergies can be treated. They are medication, acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga and various other therapies.

Do you prefer to adopt a natural and safe way to cure your blood pressure rather than swallowing those pills and medicines? Well, with growing awareness, many people today refrain from taking those chemical tablets and capsules to cure their diseases and disorders. After all several safe and natural modes of blood pressure treatment are known today.

Acupuncture is known as a traditional Chinese medicine. Migraines are often a result of reduced energy and or blood flow causing pain to one or both sides of the head. The reduced blood flow to the brain causes tension and lack of oxygen to the brain. Many migraines start as tension headaches, and grow stronger until they are full-blown migraines.