Acupuncture is one of our important and powerful modalities in Naturopathic Medicine. It also happens to be one of my favourite.
as most of you may know... acupuncture is an ancient form of medicine originally used in Asia that is now becoming more popular in the western world... and for very good reason.
The theory behind acupuncture in Chinese medicine (in a very very simplified form) is this:
our bodies have various channels called meridians
these meridians run through different areas of our body
they also correspond to different organ systems (heart, stomach, liver, etc)
these meridians contain energy, known as “Qi” that flows through them
the flow of Qi through our meridians is the foundation of our health
these meridians can be disrupted and become over or under active
this results in an imbalance in our body leading to negative health outcomes
acupuncture is used to balance these meridians and restore health
the points are based on the meridians and where they flow through the body
What else does acupuncture do?
brings blood flow to an area to allow for healing
regulate our nervous system
bring us into a more parasympathetic (relaxed) state
releases muscle tension and pain
Areas of research that acupuncture is being studied in:
chronic pain
back pain
headaches
fertility
anxiety
depression
insomnia
irritable bowel syndrome
inflammatory bowel disease
rheumatoid arthritis
osteoarthritis
seasonal allergies
high blood pressure
nausea in cancer therapy
nausea in pregnancy