CZ articles

Reduce Stress Heal the Body with Acupuncture

The idea behind acupuncture is for the body to achieve a state of balance between two opposing forces, Yin and Yang. Yin is passive and Yang is aggressive energy. When the body is in a balanced state, which is when energy flows freely and unobstructed through the ‘meridians’ of the body, the body is free of illness and is calm. Imbalance causes illness and stress due to a blockage in the flow of vital energy. Acupuncture targets certain areas on the body that connects to meridians or pathways. There are between 14 and 20 meridians in the body depending on what practitioner one goes to or how badly one is ‘unbalanced’. Generally however, most state there are 12 main meridians and a number of minor ones. Of the 12, six are yin and six are yang.

Most people feel little or no pain with the insertion of acupuncture needles. The needles are hair thin and metallic. Most feel either very calm or relaxed after treatment while others may feel energized. There are no known side affects and most states will regulate proper care of needles in that they only can be used once and are sterilized.

The meridians are related to an organ or function. The 12 main meridians are: lungs, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, pericardium, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, heart, kidney, the three heaters or san Jiao. San Jiao is not an organ, but more like an energy form and has the function to pretty much oversea things in our internal organs. Along with the 12 main meridians are eight channels or reservoirs to supply qi and blood to the 12 regular channels. The other eight channels are heavily related to the kidneys.

Among the meridians, there are more than 400 points where acupuncturist will apply the needles. Depending on the ailments and treatment, there could be more than 2000 points. These are generally named and numbered depending on which meridian it belongs to.

Acupuncture in some studies has been shown that treatment can stimulate the immune system and can affect circulation, stroke volume of the heart, blood pressure and the production of gastric acid. Hormones can be released, which helps the body respond to stress and injury.

One theory as to why acupuncture works is the Gate Control Theory, which states that pain may pass through a number of gates along its path through the nervous system. Pain generally passes slowly as it travels, but others signals can be activated to go faster, which effectively crowds out the slower pain signals. Another theory is the electrical theory of pain, which are the body-generating tiny electrical impulses. Some studies have suggested there is a correlation between the channels and the electromagnetic fields in our bodies and when used with electrical stimulation, in can change the neurotransmitter chemicals.