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ACUPUNCTURE
ACUPUNCTURE DATES BACK TO THE SHANG DYNASTY 3.500 YEARS AGO
Early Chinese physicians discovered that slivers of bamboo could somehow bring relief from the discomfort of other parts of the body. Some pictures of early acupuncture applied to Chinese warriors show “needles” look more like daggers..
There are philosophical concepts that have influenced acupuncture namely Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Dominant in the development of Chinese metaphysics was a belief of a mysterious body energy known as “Qi”. Qi literally translated means steam like steam you may see when you cook rice or use a steam cooker.
The number of paired meridians is 12 and this coincides with the number of lunar months and the number of animals of the Chinese Zodiac. On these meridians were 365 points where Qi came near the surface and became subject to therapeutic manipulation.
The number of points thus corresponds to the 365 days in a year. Traditional acupuncturists will often use ancient knowledge and assessments such as pulse and tongue assessment to check for your energy levels and well being.
Like most medical treatments Acupuncture has evolved as a treatment modality with a long history and there has been more and more research that has shown that it can directly influence the spinal cord and the brain. Medical Acupuncturists do not always subscribe to the concept of Qi and try to explain the therapeutic effects of acupuncture using current science and research which shows us that acupuncture has a direct effect on the brain and on the nervous system.
Acupuncture and Chiropractic can be used as a catalyst so that it can help your body heal itself and this is how we think of it in our clinic.
In the UK we have practitioners using either traditional acupuncture and/or medical acupuncture.
Medical acupuncture uses both trigger point (TPT) acupuncture and/or sometimes traditional points but rather than subscribing to the more historical concept of Qi energy it tries to underpin its treatment methods and approaches with a scientific approach looking and critically analysing current and past research that has been done. Medical acupuncture is a growing science and is now practised by physicians worldwide.
For a further definition please look at the definition by Adrian White: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/..
Do you have to believe in it? How does it work?
As mentioned it works by stimulating the nerves, muscles and joints. It has been proven by a plethora of scientific studies and in terms of musculoskeletal pain it helps the body’s release of its own painkillers.
Some of these include endorphins and serotonin. Acupuncture works by affecting the pain pathways of the spinal cord as well as helping change areas where pain is perceived in the brain.
Acupuncture helps your body release its own painkillers and this modifies the pain. Most patients report that they “feel better in themselves”. They may sleep better and have more resilience to withstand the daily pressure of life and work. It works well for stress and anxiety as well.
So which systems can acupuncture affect?
Recent research has shown that most systems are affected: the central nervous system, muscles, hormones, circulation, the production of antibodies and allergy response, even systems such as the respiratory, the digestive, urinary and finally the reproductive system have been shown to be affected.
This sounds like a tall claim but we have witnessed some of these effects on all these systems and have witnessed many great results.
When you arrive for treatment at the Advanced Pain Relief clinic in Milton Keynes you will be assessed by an experienced chiropractor and acupuncturist or traditional acupuncturist and be told if your condition is likely to respond or if you need a referral back to your GP or to a consultant.
Our chiropractor/ Medical Acupuncturist has been working in Milton Keynes for over 20 years and has built a useful network of friends and colleagues.
What do we use acupuncture for:
Short-term relief of tension type headaches
Short-term relief of migraine headache
Short-term relief of chronic low back pain
Short-term relief of neck pain or chronic neck pain
Short-term relief from temporomandibular (TMD/TMJ) pain
Temporary adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis knee pain
Conditions that we have previously successfully helped with and are underpinned by research
Does it hurt?
A frequent question. It can ache a lot and occasionally some points are painful but it is a lot less painful than let’s say a vaccination.
What are your qualifications?
I have a Post-Graduate Diploma in Western Medical Acupuncture from the University of Hertfordshire and Simin Wei is a PhD(c) in Chinese Medicine and undertaking research in helping women who are struggling with infertility by means of using traditional acupuncture and herbal medicine.