Acupuncture West Orange is one of the oldest forms of healing. The Chinese have used it for around 4000 yrs. It is the most popular form of healing through natural means and one of the most effective. It was introduced in the United States since the 1970’s and since then, millions of Americans have benefited from this holistic type of treatment. Acupuncture is holistic in the sense that it not only is used in treating physical ailments but emotional and psychological problems as well.
Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. TCM believes that the body has a life force or chi flowing inside it and the normal flow of chi in the body is responsible for the body’s health and growth. When the pathways of chi are blocked, chi stagnates and this stagnation causes the body’s health to deteriorate and get sick. Acupuncture is the insertion of needles in certain parts of the body to remove these blockages and restore the body back into health.
Sometimes acupuncture is coupled with other forms of alternative treatment such as herbal medicine or moxibustion to maximize the treatment. Moxibustion is a treatment wherein moxa or mugwort, an oriental herb is burned directly onto the skin on designated acupoints. The purpose of this is to stimulate a smoother circulation of both blood and chi throughout the body. Herbal medicines are designed to treat specific illnesses and Chinese medicine carries a wide gamut of herbal mixtures for treatment of specific maladies.
Aside from chi, TCM also believes in the principle of yin and yang or hot and cold forces interacting in the body and whose relative harmony and balance makes the body function normally and healthy. Yin-yang is affected by chi flow and when chi stagnates, the equilibrium of these two opposing forces becomes imbalanced leading to sickness. Factors that create chi blockages are pathogens, the environment, extreme emotions and physical injuries. It is the responsibility of the acupuncturist to determine what factors caused chi imbalance on each patient since the diagnosis determines what type of acupuncture technique to use.
Acupuncture has treated various kinds of illnesses. The more popular uses of acupuncture are in weight loss, infertility, extreme emotions such as depression and anxiety, alcoholism, substance abuse and general pain. Acupuncture is not a panacea for every type of disease but it is a effective and very safe form of treatment for many types of illnesses. Unlike pharmaceutical therapy, acupuncture does not load the body with any toxins whatsoever. In fact, it uses minimal external aid, other than herbal medicines. Acupuncture allows the body to heal itself by giving it more energy to boost blood circulation; regulate hormone level; stimulate endorphins to mitigate emotional worries and make the body feel good and relaxed; and raise the body’s metabolic rate to allow the person to feel energized and strong.