Some acupuncture techniques dont even use needles nowadays. They use objects which vibrate, ultrasound and also now the fingers of whoever is treating you.
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.
Acupuncture reached the US in the early 1980's and a regulatory board called the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine was founded. This allowed school to be built and those who wanted to become licensed acupuncturists are now able to train and practice for their profession.
Despite this, there was a large number of people who were not convinced on the positive effects of these types of alternative medication. It was in 1995 that the US Food and Drug Administration classified the needles used for acupuncture as medical instruments and therefore assured people that they are not only both safe and effective but a proper alternative to traditional medicine.
Further promoting acupuncture, the NIH or National Institute of Health stated in 1997, that this technique is useful in the treatment of various health conditions including ear, nose, throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal, eye, nervous system and muscular disorders. In some cases, acupuncture is able to prevent the symptoms from ever occurring.
One of the advantages of a treatment like acupuncture is that there are no known side effects which can happen with normal prescription drugs.
If you take a look at acupuncture, nothing really has changed since its beginnings.
To be able to see how effective it is, you need someone who is a specialist and who is qualified to treat your condition.
So what is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture has been practised for hundreds even thousands of years but before you consider treatment, here are some things you might like to know.
Acupuncture is a holistic healthcare technique which requires needles to be inserted into specific points in the body. Through medical studies and clinical tests it has been shown to treat many conditions including ear, nose, throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal, eye, nervous system and muscular disorders.
Acupuncture needles are incredibly small and you may not even feel the needle going in or maybe feel a slight twitch but nothing more. The needles are inserted into the correct place and can stay there from 45 minutes to an hour depending on the condition that you are receiving the treatment for.
If the needles are inserted properly, you should feel some cramping, electrical sensations or perhaps a slight tingling. This means that your treatment is working.
Needles used for acupuncture are always clean because they are required to be disposable and therefore unable to transmit any deseases. It can still be common in countries outside the west to have re useable needles but these are always sterilised before re use.
As acupuncture has been practised for more than 2000 years, various new styles of acupuncture have been developed. Its worth asking any potential practitioner what forms they practice so you can be more comfortable that its going to be right for you.
When looking for an acupuncturist, you should treat it like any other medical visit. Its good to ask where they got their training and whether they are already experienced in the treatment of the condition that you are needing help with. You wouldn't visit someone for treatment on a toothache whose specialist area was back pain would you.
The length of your treatment will vary depending on your problem. Some problems are relatively simple to correct and others require more than 1 session. Alcoholics and users of drugs may find that they are able to no longer be reliant after only a couple of months.
Sometimes you may find that you get immediate relief after a single session but others will not experience anything at all.
If you find that acupuncture works for you, the only thing you need are follow up sessions. It is also important that you make your normal medical doctor aware that you are undertaking this type of treatment so that your condition can be monitored for signs of improvement.
Steve Cownley
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