Acupuncture literally means “needle piercing,” a rather painful-sounding term for the practice of inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific points called acupuncture points. The points are stimulated to balance the movement of energy in the body and the process can cause slight discomfort rather than the pain that its name suggests.
In traditional Chinese medicine term, good health depends upon two things: an unobstructed flow through the body of energy, or Qi, along 12 major channels, or meridians, and a balance between the two life forces – cool, passive yin and warm, active yang. Illness or pain occurs when the flow of Qi is blocked or when one life force dominates the other. Acupuncture is thought to act on meridians. The hair-thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific points along the meridians to redirect or unblock stagnant Qi.
For thousands of years, acupuncture has been based on the premise that specific points along the meridians correspond to specific organs and functions. For example, inserting a needle at a point inside the forearm known as P6 is intended to treat nausea; needling Liv3, which is an acupuncture point on top of foot, is meant to help with motor function.
Today most Western researchers agree that acupuncture’s stimulation of endorphins plays a big part in explaining how the practice works. Some medical acupuncture researchers maintain that this can’t be the whole picture. They remain unclear as to how acupuncture is able to provide long-lasting pain relief. But acupuncture has become very popular in recent years among conventional doctors in the West, some of whom now use it to treat symptoms of disease as if it were just another part of Western medicine.
Our regular treatment procedures are as follows: First the Chinese meridians massage will be performed for 30 minutes to allow the blood and energy to flow more effectively, relax the muscles, improve circulation and then the body is prepared for acupuncture. Second, acupuncture will be done by placing the needles in the specific acupuncture points and pain points. We believe that Chinese meridians massage will reach a wider surface area and acupuncture will reach the deeper specific points. If both methods are combined, the effective results are much greater than just one single treatment.
For more information, please call Dr. Liyan Lu of Ping’s Acupuncture and Herbs Center at 661-513-9265.