The Effectiveness Of Acupuncture
Whenever you are feeling pain and discomfort, you'd usually reach for your painkillers for relief. While they do relieve the pain, they also bring along side effects that comes with taking foreign chemicals into your body. As much as modern medicine has developed drugs that can relieve pain right off the bat, do you really think that the quick fixes you've been taking are actually good for your body? Why not try something safer and more effective like acupuncture.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture has surged in popularity for the last few decades as brought on by the recent health trend. Mostly known as a traditonal Chinese medical technique, acupuncture is seen as a homeopathic method of treatment. While alternative medicine does raise a lot of eyebrows for the scientifically-inclined, it does merit attention before being dismissed as a quack cure.
Basic Procedure
Basically, needles are inserted into the skin, each corresponding to one of the numerous pressure points located throughout the body. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, by inserting a needle into the pressure point, an acupuncturist can manipulate the flow of chi or life force, thus relieving pain and gradually treating the patient. While most would say that the whole chi thing is a bunch of nonsense, science has suggested that with the needles inserted, the body's natural painkillers called endorphins are released, thus helping with pain relief.
Instruments
Modern acupuncturists nowadays use disposable fine stainless steel needles that are 0.007 to 0.020 inches in diameter which are sterilized with either ethylene oxide or by autoclave. Since they are way finer than hypodermic syringe needles, being poked by these needles are relatively painless. The upper third of the needle is covered with either a thicker bronze wire or plastic to make the needle sturdier and easier to handle. The length of the needle and how far they are inserted is all up to the acupuncturist and his practised style of acupuncture.
Example Of Treatment
If a patient has a headache, he/she is diagnosed and is treated by stimulating the sensitive points located at the webs between the thumbs and palms. In acupuncture theory, these points are connected to the face and head and can be used for treatment of headaches and other ailments involved. Needles are then carefully inserted into the skin until the patient feels a twinge, which is usually accompanied by a slight involuntary twitching of the area. During this treatment, a number of things may occur.
- Sensitivity to pain in where needles are inserted.
- A hint of nausea during treatment in case of bad headaches.
- Near-immediate headache relief.
Evolution
As an ancient method, acupuncture has crossed over into the modern age with implementations of technology and recent scientific findings. Electrical stimulation is now a common technique that is combined with acupuncture to produce more effective results. Also, acupuncturists combined this eastern technique with western methods to further enhance the treatment.
Practitioners have eventually realized that leaning towards one school of thought can't propagate progress unless they are willing to move towards the future by looking towards other horizons as well.
Reactions And Research
Not everyone is impressed with acupuncture itself. Most western medical professionals have expressed either doubt or indifference to the oriental method while others have downright driven it down into the earth with criticisms and brutal skepticism. However, recent research shows the efficacy (or lack thereof) of acupuncture, and while more research has to be done, it has been proven to actually positively affect some, but not all, forms of ailments that it claims to cure.
So as the doors open to a new age of acupuncture, give it a try when you feel the need for pain relief and you will not be disappointed. As the Chinese have used it for many centuries, so should we.
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Facial Acupuncture
Looking beautiful both inside and out is something we all want to achieve. Since your face is ridden with emotion and hormonal issues, you have to take care of it. Fortunately, there is a technique that can do that using painless mini needles and this is better known as facial acupuncture.
Facial acupuncture is a painless procedure that renews not only the face but the body as well. This is because it can erase lines and eye bags making you look younger. At the same time, it can also help clear up pimples and acne.
For this to work, fine needles are placed in acupuncture points on the eyes, face and neck to stimulate the person’s natural energies. As a result, this also improves your facial color.
Anyone can try facial acupuncture because it is painless and it has proven to reverse the signs of aging. However, if you are pregnant, suffer from the colds or flu, have acute herpes or an allergic reaction, it is best to wait until this has passed.
But before anyone can try facial acupuncture, they first have to be evaluated by the acupuncturist. This person will evaluate your age, lifestyle and diet. If everything looks good, then you will probably do an average of about 12 to 15 treatments. More could be done if your skin tends to sag, manifest jowls or have droopy eyes.
Facial acupuncture treatment needs to be done twice a week for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. For those who can’t make two sessions in a week, they can opt for the 1 treatment that will last 90 minutes.
After the regular sessions, it is advisable to go back for follow up treatment. It should be every 2 weeks for the next 2 months and then once a month later on.
Aside from needles, most clinics use herbs in the form of masks, poultices and moisturizers. Before you use it, check with your doctor to make sure there is no allergic reaction to any forms of medication that you are taking.
After the first facial acupuncture treatment, you will usually seen an increased glow to one’s complexion which the Chinese say an increased Qi or blood flow to the face. It becomes more open, the wrinkles start to disappear and the skin appears more toned.
In the 5th or 7th treatment, this becomes more evident as your face looks more relaxed as though you just came from a vacation.
The end result is that you will look and feel 5 to 15 years younger but of course this depends on how well the patient has taken care of themselves outside the confines of the clinic.
To sum things up, facial acupuncture can do for you. It can eliminate fine lines and reduces wrinkles, improve your overall facial color and add luster to the skin, relaxes tension in the face and furrows in the brow, brightens the eyes and reduce dark circles and puffiness, improve muscle tone for sagging skin, enhance your natural radiance in the skin and eyes, slow the aging process within, promotes overall health and well being as well as relaxes and revitalizes the entire body.
All you have to now is find a clinic that offers this service to customers so you will soon look radiant to other people.
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