Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the main forms of treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
This process is believed to adjust and alter the body’s energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and health conditions.
It involves the use of sharp, thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points.
Acupuncture needles are always sterilized and acupuncture is a very safe procedure. The needles generally do not cause pain. Patients sometimes report pinching sensations and often pleasant sensations like relaxation, as the body experiences healing.
The average length of time for acupuncture is about thirty minutes. The number of visits varies with some conditions improved in one or two sessions and others requiring a series of six or more visits over the course of weeks or months.
Meridian Points
In acupuncture, a meridian includes the system of channels and their collaterals which are thought to connect all body parts and most acupuncture points are located on them.
There are 12 bilaterally distributed meridians—lung meridian of the hand (Tai Yin), heart m. of the hand (Shao Yin), pericardium m. of the hand (Jue Yin), large intestine m. of the hand (Yang Ming), small intestine m. of the hand (Tai Yang), triple heater m. of the hand (Shao Yang), stomach m. of the foot (Yang Ming), urinary bladder m. of the foot (Tia Yang), gallbladder m. of the foot (Shao Yang), spleen m. of the foot (Tao Yin), kidney m. of the foot (Shao Yin), liver m. of the foot (Jue Yin).
Meridian points are acupuncture points located on one of the meridians.
Meridian theory
Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the theory that all body parts are connected by a network of main and collateral channels along which are situated the bulk of the acupuncture points. There are also some meridians, the dorsally located Governing Vessel and the ventrally located Conception Vessel, which are not connected to specific anatomical organs.
