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Acupuncture What is acupuncture? Acupuncture is the gentle insertion of a hair-fine needle into specific points on the body called acupoints to stimulate the flow of one's Qi or natural healing energy. Acupuncture has been practised in China for thousands of years. The essence of acupuncture treatment is improving the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. Sometimes, instead of inserting a needle into an acupoint, a TCM doctor or an acupuncturist may choose to apply heat to the point, or stimulate it with very low voltage electricity (no more than is generated by a flashlight battery). These techniques are called Moxibustion and Electro-Stimulation. They can be regarded as variations of acupuncture and may be used to further stimulate the natural healing power of your body. Who has acupuncture? People often have acupuncture treatment to help with a number of symptoms and conditions including arthritis, asthma, back pain, depression, circulatory problems, anxiety, facial paralysis, fibrositis, high blood pressure, indeterminate pains, infertility, menstrual problems, migraines, rheumatism, sciatica, skin conditions, ulcers etc.. Acupuncture treatment may be used along with other medical care to great advantage. For example, it can be used for pain control after other medical or dental procedures, for improving healing, and to lessen the side-effects of some drugs including chemo-therapy. Acupuncture has been proved effective in pregnancy management and for pain relief in childbirth. Acupuncture can also help in overcoming additions to smoking, alcohol, food and drugs. Does acupuncture hurt? We hardly notice when a mosquito starts "working" on us. This is because mosquitoes have a very thin sucking tube. An acupuncture needle is very thin and it hardly hurts when the needle is inserted into our acupoints. It takes ten to fifteen acupuncture needles to fit into one conventional hypodermic needle. In addition, an experienced TCM doctor or an acupuncturist can attain a high level of skill in gently placing these tiny needles into the skin with minimum discomfort to patients. Is acupuncture safe? Acupuncture needles used in the UK are all sterile and disposable. They come in sterile packets, are used once, and then disposed of. Acupuncture treatment is drug-free, you avoid side effects or dependency. However, you should always give information about all pre-existing conditions, the names of all medications you are taking, whether you are, or could be pregnant, and if you have a cardiac pacemaker or cosmetic implants. Your TCM doctor of acupuncturist will then be able to evaluate your specific situation to ensure the best result. Should my GP know before I have acupuncture? If you are receiving treatment from your GP then it makes sense to tell him or her about your plan to have acupuncture. The acupuncture treatment may enable you to reduce to even stop taking some forms of medication. As acupuncture gains more recognition from medical professionals in the West, the chances are that your GP might be very co-operative. Can acupuncture be effective when other treatments have failed? Absolutely! Each system of medicine has its own areas of greatest effectiveness. Acupuncture excels in those areas in which conventional Western medicine comes up short. Chronic disease, pain control, and stress related disorders are three of acupuncture's specialities. According to the World Health Organisation, conditions successfully treated with traditional Chinese medicine include:
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