Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicinal technique that dates back thousands of years and involves the insertion of very thin needles into specific points on the body. This practice is rooted in the belief that the body has a natural flow of energy, known as “qi” (pronounced “chi”), and disruptions in this flow can result in ailments and diseases. By stimulating certain points, acupuncture aims to balance the flow of qi, thereby promoting healing and alleviating pain. Modern scientific research has shown that acupuncture can be effective in treating various conditions, including chronic pain, migraines, and insomnia, although the exact mechanisms remain a subject of study and debate.
One of the contemporary establishments that embraces this ancient practice is the Advanced Holistic Center. With a dedicated team of professionals, the center integrates acupuncture with other holistic treatments, offering patients a comprehensive approach to wellness and health. Their commitment to both traditional and modern therapeutic methods underlines the continuing relevance and adaptability of acupuncture in today’s healthcare landscape.
What is Acupuncture good for?
Acupuncture, an integral element of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been praised for its capacity to address various health challenges. The Advanced Holistic Center, with its commitment to blending ancient techniques with modern insights, underscores the relevance of acupuncture in contemporary health and wellness. One of its foremost applications is in pain management. Through the stimulation of specific acupoints, acupuncture can influence the musculoskeletal system, alleviating ailments like chronic backaches, arthritis, and migraines.
Furthermore, by targeting the nervous system, it’s believed to release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and may even modulate the autonomic nervous system to combat stress and induce relaxation. For individuals grappling with insomnia, anxiety, or depression, the endocrine and neurochemical systems come into focus. By regulating hormonal balances and neurotransmitter activity, acupuncture shows promise in supporting mental well-being. The digestive system, too, can benefit from acupuncture, aiding in the management of conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or gastritis. With institutions like the Advanced Holistic Center championing its therapeutic potential, acupuncture continues to gain traction as a multifaceted tool for holistic health.
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture, a foundational component of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a therapeutic practice that involves inserting fine needles at specific points on the body. Modern research suggests that acupuncture elicits complex physiological responses that contribute to its therapeutic effects. According to a study by Chou & Chu (2018), acupuncture has been shown to influence several key biochemical and cellular pathways. For instance, it can regulate plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and serum cortisol levels, both of which play pivotal roles in the body’s stress response. Moreover, the activity of synovial nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a protein complex involved in cellular responses to stressors like inflammatory cytokines, is modulated by acupuncture. This suggests potential anti-inflammatory effects of the practice. Additionally, acupuncture is believed to prompt the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain-relieving chemicals. These combined effects shed light on how acupuncture might alleviate pain, reduce stress, and foster overall physiological balance in the body.
Does acupuncture work immediately?
Acupuncture can sometimes offer immediate relief, but most often, its true potential shines through after multiple sessions, typically between 3-10 treatments. After each session, many patients notice a decrease in their symptoms, with the intensity and frequency reducing progressively. It’s not uncommon for symptoms to resurface a few hours or days post-treatment, but with continued sessions, these recurrences tend to diminish. For top-tier acupuncture services that aim to deliver swift and lasting relief, residents of NYC and Miami often turn to the Advanced Holistic Center, a clinic that embodies the essence of effective Chinese acupuncture treatment.
Why Acupuncture Works?
It’s difficult to answer the question why acupuncture works? until scientists discover how acupuncture works. Experts in various fields such as neuroscience, molecular biology, biochemistry, psychology, and medicine expressed opinions that the effects of acupuncture are only placebo effects, and about just as many experts insist on the opposite, that acupuncture’s benefits are real (Wang, 2019). Placebo effect is so prevailing in medical clinic that besides being included in many majority of clinical research studies as a control group, some scientists think that it is part of regular treatment (Bialosky, Bishop, & Penza, 2017), while other researchers suggest that since placebo effect is so common and since it appears to be consistently (and perhaps even reliably) effective, it should be studied and used in or even instead of actual treatment (Tu et al., 2019). Is it possible that acupuncture somehow interferes with the placebo mechanism? Research should show that, and hopefully we will find it out in a near future.
On the other hand, acupuncture has a very long history, and while it may not be the panacea for all possible illnesses, it appears to have multiple effects on the human body. Research has unveiled some of its benefits, there is more to acupuncture than has been discovered. After all, there must be a number of reasons for acupuncture’s long history. Its effects may not have been scientifically identified, but they have been observed and exploited over the centuries. One of acupuncture’s effects has been proven, though: Unlike pharmacological or surgical interventions, acupuncture has very few side effects, and considering that acupuncture’s—as well as traditional Chinese medicine’s, in general—approach has always been to custom-tailor treatment to each individual patient, the best way to learn more about acupuncture’s benefits is to try it on oneself. One thing that research has determined with a high degree of certainty is that there is no harm in trying acupuncture, only benefits.