•Other: Patients with cancer, HIV, or hepatitis use acupuncture to strengthen their
immunity and reduce the side-effects of conventional medicine. Many athletes use
acupuncture for the treatment of injuries and performance enhancement.
Pediatric and geriatric populations respond very well to acupuncture. Jessica has worked with all ages, from infants on up. For children, treatments are offered with needles, as an acupressure massage, with tei-shin (a Japanese style that does not puncture the skin), or with a very low electric current pulsing through Q-tips. In addition, herbal medicine and nutritional therapy are extremely effective for many childhood ailments.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world, having been first developed over 2,000 years ago in China. Relatively new to the United States, acupuncture was introduced to mainstream Americans in 1971 when a New York Times reporter wrote about how doctors in China used needles to ease his pain after surgery. Since then, acupuncture has grown in popularity in the US. In 1997, the National Institute of Health issued a consensus statement acknowledging acupuncture’s effectiveness for certain conditions and encouraging further scientific research into its potential uses. In 2003, the World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as an effective treatment for nearly four dozen common conditions. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey brought acupuncture to an audience of 48 million on her popular television show, adding more fuel to the already blazing fire.
The goal of an acupuncture treatment is to harmonize the flow of Qi (blood, fluids, and energy) by inserting sterile, stainless steel needles (that are as fine as a human hair) into specific points on the main pathways through which these substances travel. Typically, the acupuncturist inserts the needles and then leaves the patient alone to rest with them. Most patients would describe their experience of acupuncture as a period of deep stillness in which nothing seems to be happening, but all sorts of things get done. How – by what mechanism – do the needles accomplish their work? (1,2) What matters is that they do it.
About Acupuncture
Historical Background
What Can Acupuncture Treat?
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