The West has viewed Acupuncture mainly as a treatment for specific disorders. For example, extensive research has shown that acupuncture treatment can provide great relief from chronic low back pain, dental pain, migraine headaches, symptoms of osteoarthritis, as well as help with emotional pain and for treating chemotherapy side-effects. It has also shown great promise in increasing the chances of achieving pregnancy, but of course in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization.
But the practitioners of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) of acupuncture often are regarded as a treatment for health maintenance. Some acupuncturists offer such treatment options to tone internal organs or to stop niggling health issues snowballing into major health problems.
The Good and Bad of Alternative Medicine
The past ten to twenty years have seen a meteoric rise in the popularity of alternative medicine, specifically when it comes to acupuncture. Though it has been pulled down by some quarters, it has been seen in more and more cases that acupuncture can be regarded as an effective alternative solution to promote and support health and well-being.
Many people are now looking for alternative solutions outside the familiar boundaries of Western medicine, as they now have an inkling that maintaining the body and preventing illness require one to take a holistic approach. Acupuncture offers the ability to maintain health and also the capability to treat sickness, pain, and suffering.
The human body can be compared to a car engine, as it also has specific functions that need your undue attention, maintenance and care. In the human body, energy flows throughout the length and breadth of the body. When this energy gets blocked or stops flowing, health issues grip the body.
On the other hand, when energy flows unhindered; the mind, body, and spirit remain peaceful and harmonious. This is where the benefits of acupuncture come in; for people who receive regular acupuncture treatments, it acts as complementary support. It will cater to any problem that might seem harmless at first, but with time might grow into something bigger and incurable.
So, can acupuncture really be considered as a preventive mode of treatment? The answer to that question is a resounding yes! The next question that arises is Western or Eastern, which form of preventive medicine is most effective?
The answer to that question is that both can co-exist harmoniously and also complement other effortlessly. Both sides have their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as advantages and disadvantages.
If you ignore one to give importance to the other, you won’t be able to reap the benefits of the two.
Prevention is better than Cure
A prominent feature of preventive medicine is that the focus is on catching the disease before it sinks its tentacles on the body. Oriental medicine has always glorified this aspect of their medicine, preventing the ailment rather than treating it.
A good many years ago, before any aberrations could be detected with MRI’s and lab tests, there were biochemical and energetic imbalances in the body. These imbalances can be a recurring pain, such as sleep disturbances, mood fluctuations, digestion disorders, headaches, and menstrual irregularities.
Through this process of evaluating the small physical signs as well as the emotional problems of a person, Oriental medicine practitioners can detect health problems even before their onset, and before the sickness transforms to something more grave.
Once the nature of the imbalance has been zeroed upon, a program can be created for you, customized to the individual requirements. Your treatment may include acupuncture and other treatments like herbal therapy as well as food, exercise and lifestyle modifications.
The best part of an Acupuncture diagnosis is that it goes to the root cause of the problem and does not just focus on solitary symptoms. So it may unravel the reason for your mild symptoms before you. It can even help those people who do not have any genuine health complaints but nevertheless, do not somehow feel right. It can boost up body’s immunity and defense power, and thus prevent chronic diseases like cancer. When you unblock the blockage, it can promote health in numerous ways and also improve the quality of life, and help people live a long life by boosting their immunity.
The History of Preventive Treatment
It is said that the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC), credited for the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, had also established a health care system in which physicians, would only accept donations or payments from patrons who were kept healthy with treatment. They were not paid all when they could not cure the patients.
This practice stayed put for centuries together. The people of each village would take care of the doctor by providing shelter, food, clothing and money and the doctor would stop the village from getting too sick. when he took care of the entire village.
Some physicians were even punished or executed when someone died and they were singled out to take the blame for their death. Also, the track record of the physician was thoroughly checked before their services were employed.
A seasonal acupuncture treatment, which means undergoing treatment four times a year, can help unify the inner organ systems and resurrect your health.
Acupuncture Points to Promote Health and Wellness
One of the myriad ways that walking can help you attain health and wellness is by pressing gently on the Yangquan, also known as the Bubbling Spring, one of the acupuncture points located on the sole of the foot. The Oriental health theory propagates that this is the starting point of the Kidney meridian, and when activated, it can promote clarity of the mind and stabilize one emotionally.
Yangquan is located right in the depression on the sole of the foot, which is at the junction of the anterior third and the posterior two-thirds of the sole. The Yangquan point has been found to benefit high blood pressure, kidney function, stress, insomnia, sexual potency, headaches, and kidney function.
There is a technique to stimulate the Yangquan while walking; let your heel touch the ground gently, and then transfer your weight fully to the ball and toes of your foot. Practice breathing mindfully into your lower abdomen, relax your shoulders and swing your arms freely.
The Impact of Preventive Medicine
We already know about the benefits of preventive medicine, what we do not know that there are two sides to the coin of preventive medicine:
- The first situation is getting treatment for a condition that you already have before it becomes chronic.
- The second situation is getting treatment for a condition you do not have currently, to ensure that you do not have it in the future.
You might be assailed with several doubts about preventive treatment. If we’re getting acupuncture to prevent illness, how do we know if the treatment is actually preventing any future diseases? The answer to that question is actually quite simple.
Acupuncture, as preventive medicine, still has measurable effects. When you get treated for preventing illness, you will immediately feel that you have more energy and will feel more relaxed and stress-free throughout the week. You will sleep well and wake more rested. You will also notice that you are feeling more rejuvenated than before. You will know for sure, that it is acupuncture giving you this boost, helping you stay healthy.
This boost to your health is another way of defining wellness. Though from scientific medicine’s standpoint, there isn’t one way of defining ideal health, it might only signify the absence of a disease. Wellness is not bound by this, it means so much more. Wellness is the constant increase in energy and vitality that acts as a buffer against the onset of disease and illness.
Though there are some people who are uncomfortable with the idea of going for a treatment when you are not really sick, but there may be particular times of the year, like the change of seasons – for example, when trees start pollinating, or when the weather gets colder in autumn, when you may be more prone to falling sick.
This might make them more open to the idea of considering preventive treatment. There are other patients who come in for a few weeks before they travel. Others come to avoid flare-ups in their aches and pains, even when they are under control.
So, just as you exercise, try to maintain good sleeping patterns and follow a good diet to stay healthy, then you can regularly keep in touch with your body and mind via acupuncture to avoid the onset of any disease. That quite answers the question why acupuncture is important Yes, it is an extremely valuable tool, one you should certainly try for yourself!.
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