What Is Acupuncture?
If you’ve seen or heard anything of acupuncture, you know needles are inserted into the skin at seemingly random points on the body, and you think, “Why would anyone do that?” It all starts with Qi.
What is Chi?
At the core of this ancient medicine is the philosophy that Qi (pronounced “chee”) is the vital energy that flows through the body along meridians that connect to parts of your body, protecting us from illness, pain, and disease, and guiding us forward.
If you are experiencing physical health problems, like chronic pain or symptoms, or even emotional struggles like stress and worry, the core of these issues stem from a blockage within you, stopping the flow of Qi through your body and preventing vital nourishment from reaching your organs, tissue, and glands. These blockages can be caused by emotional stress and trauma or physical stress, such as illness, fatigue, poor diet, and even seasonal changes.
Unblocking Qi Through Acupuncture
Acupuncture removes blocks in your body and seeks to put your energy back into balance so it can move and flow smoothly within you, allowing your body, mind, and spirit to rejuvenate at a cellular level. This is done by inserting very fine, thin, sterile needles at carefully selected acupoints along your meridian pathways. They break up the blockages and restore the vital energy flow back through your body, allowing your Qi to regain balance.
Additionally, acupuncture can stimulate the nerves, muscles, and connective tissues where the needle is inserted which can release hormones that act as natural painkillers.
Benefits of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a safe, effective natural healing technique that has helped millions of people improve their quality of life, restore their health, and end their struggle with pain. While it can be used for a wide variety of ailments and health problems, common uses for acupuncture include:
Emotional Reset: Relieve chronic stress, anxiety and
Digestive issues, including gas, bloating, acid reflux, constipation etc.
Nausea caused by chemotherapy or pregnancy,
Sports injuries and pain including neck, back, shoulders, or knees
Pain caused by chronic conditions like osteoarthritis, sciatica, and tendonitis
Autoimmune problems, such as fibromyalgia and inflammation
Headaches including migraines, tension headaches and other types.
Hormonal issues including PMS, Menstrual cramps and Menopausal symptoms.
Does It Hurt?
This is easily the most common question we receive, and the short answer is, “No.”
How is that possible? Medical needles, the ones most of us associate with flu shots with, are hollow and break the skin, causing pain, and even bleeding. Acupuncture needles are so thin that they are about the same width as a strand hair and are solid. They slip through the skin pores and don’t break it. Then the needle connects to the energy of the channels that are part of Chinese medicine and has been proven effective for over 5000 years.
The sensation that can be associated with acupuncture if that of QI, which is a dull ache like someone is pressing the point. This means the acupuncture needle has connected to the qi of the acupoint and releases it out of the body leaving you pain free and enabling your body to begin healing naturally.