Acupuncture
Chinese Medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) is a whole medical system that originated in China. It is based on the concept that disease results from disruption in the flow of Qi and imbalance in the forces of Yin and Yang. Practices such as herbs, acupuncture, Chinese massage (Tuina), and QiGong (meditation) seek to aid healing by restoring the Yin-Yang balance and the flow of Qi.
Chinese Medicine had strong influence and spread from China to Korea, Japan and elsewhere in East Asia. When they came to USA, sometimes called Oriental Medicine.
Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body by a variety of techniques, including the insertion of thin metal needles through the skin. It is intended to remove blockages in the flow of Qi and restore and maintain health.
Acupuncture is over 5,000 years old. Primitive sharp stones and bamboo were later replaced by fish bones, bamboo clips and later various shapes of needles made of metal (silver, gold). Today very fine hair thin needles are used. With advanced technology and precision instruments, these needles are placed at specific points of the body with little or no discomfort,
Acupuncture in United States
Acupuncture became better known in the United States in 1971, when New York Times reporter James Reston wrote about how doctors in China used needles to ease his pain after surgery.
American practices of acupuncture incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
The report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997 stated that acupuncture is being “widely” practiced—by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists, and other practitioners—for relief or prevention of pain and for various other health conditions. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included a comprehensive survey of CAM use by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used acupuncture in the previous year. Between the 2002 and 2007 NHIS, Acupuncture use among adults increased by three-tenths of 1 percent (approximately 1 million people).
Scientists are studying the efficacy of acupuncture for a wide range of conditions.
Indications for acupuncture treatment include, but are not limited to:
Acute and Chronic Pain Control
Addiction Control
Cancer related symptoms
Circulator disorders
Dermatological disorders
Emotional and psychological disorders
Eye, ear, nose & throat disorders
Gastrointestinal disorders
Gynecological/genitourinary disorders
Immune Disorders/Autoimmune disorders
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Respiratory disorders
Palliative Care
EHW ACUPUNCTURE CONFIDENTIAL PATIENT SHEET