Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is a powerful system of healing that has been used by billions of people around the globe for over 3,000 years. Although acupuncture is perhaps the most widely known tool of Chinese Medicine in the United States , it is only one of the different healing methods used in oriental medicine. Chinese medicine uses a variety of tools including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, nutrition, bodywork, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture has stood the test of time and is now used around the world. Used within the setting of Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is used as a vehicle to regulate the body’s vital energy or Qi. Hair-thin sterile needles are inserted into various locations on the body that have been carefully selected individually for the patient. Chinese medicine has its own complex system of diagnosis completely separate from western medicine that determines which treatments are selected for a specific person. Acupuncture has been shown to interact with the nervous system, release muscle spasms, affect hormones, and influence the immune system. Acupuncture also triggers the body to release chemicals that reduce inflammation and pain and increase blood flow to the local area of application. Although western science has been unable to show for certain which of these pathways is the key to why acupuncture can be so effective, acupuncture has shown for over thousands of years to be an effective tool for healing many ailments and, in most scientific human and animal trials, has proven to be effective.