Does Acupuncture Help With Aches and Discomfort?

Acupuncture constitutes one of the oldest forms of alternative medicine that is still being practiced. It is popularly attributed to Traditional Chinese Medicine of the sixteenth century.

The Primitive Take on Acupuncture
The ancient science believed most of the health issues stemmed from the imbalance of energy. The fine, stainless steel needles were used to stimulate the 14 major energy channels in the body, building immunity and resistance to illnesses while helping the patient overcome apparent problems. Acupuncture was known to be an effective remedy for different health concerns ranging from minor aches and discomfort to major health problems.

The Modern Take on Acupuncture
The conventional science today explains the same phenomenon with different words. Instead of talking about "chi" (energy), the modern science explains the process of acupuncture as a means to stimulate specific anatomic sites or nerves in the body. This process seems to have profound impact on the health and well-being of the patient.

 

The modern science has accepted acupuncture as an unparalleled mode of treatment. The process is extremely intricate, demanding years of learning and expertise to locate specific target points on the body. Even the slightest miscalculation can have drastic consequences. This is why it is recommended to seek reputed professionals for acupuncture treatments. The process is now covered under the medical insurance offered by most companies, which explains the modern viewpoint on acupuncture.

Here's how acupuncture is known to help with aches and discomforts.

Acupuncture for Aches and Discomforts
Acupuncture is known to help with aches and discomfort just the way it works for other health problems. The acupuncturist starts by analyzing the body for problem areas, identifying the root cause of the ache. S/he may use additional equipment to identify other characteristics of the body in order to devise the correct treatment.

Small, fine and sterile needles will be used to reach and stimulate the nerves under your skin. This process is usually painless or may be accompanied with minor discomfort. The needles are left for a period of 5 to 40 minutes depending on the need. This does not only help invigorate the nerve cells and muscle tissues, it also steadies the blood flow, ensuring appropriate flow of nutrients to and from all parts of the body.

 In some cases, placement of needles in one part of the body may be able to help relieve tension in another part. The treatment is known to help in managing the pain associated with arthritis, stress, inappropriate posture, fibromyalgia, dental treatment and post-surgery problems. Although the relationship between acupuncture and pain relief is unclear, it nevertheless has helped several thousands of people in achieving optimal health.

In chronic cases, acupuncture will most likely be recommended in addition to other treatments. Acupuncture is not a holistic cure for all health problems. It may, however, be able to help you keep numerous complications at bay. Acupuncture does help in relieving aches and discomfort by revitalizing internal body functions for overall betterment.

What Is Kinesiology? An Introduction to Muscle Testing

Kinesiology, or energy kinesiology as it is properly called (to distinguish it from the study of the mechanics of body movement), was created by Dr George Goodheart, a chiropractor, in the early 1960s. Since then, largely through the vision and work of Dr John Thie, who created Touch for Health so anyone can learn to heal with kinesiology without any specialist medical training, kinesiology has spread all over the world.

 

 Many branches of kinesiology have developed, with very different methodologies, because the basic tools of kinesiology are so flexible and adaptable. All the different energy kinesiology schools have two elements in common:

 (1) muscle testing; and 

(2) traditional Chinese medicine. For this very brief introduction to kinesiology I shall focus on the first of these.

Muscle testing is an incredibly versatile and powerful tool. It isn't a therapy in itself, but rather a method that allows information to be communicated by the body. This is comparable with ideo-motor responses in hypnosis, where finger signals (for example) communicate yes and no unconscious responses, and the pendulum, which communicates unconscious yes and no responses by exaggerating barely perceptible unconscious shoulder or arm movements.

Kinesiologists usually prefer to identify unstressed and stressed responses (rather than yes and no responses), but the principle is similar. Put simply: the body's response to a stimulus is tested by applying gentle pressure to a contracted muscle. If the muscle doesn't hold in place ('unlocks'), the body is indicating that the stimulus causes the body stress. If the muscle holds ('locks'), the body is indicating that the stimulus is not stressful.

Not only can the muscle test show when a stimulus causes stress but, when the body is under stress, it can show whether a stimulus counters the stress. So muscle tests reveal stressors and also remedies.

The stimulus or remedy could be a food or substance. Many people who have heard of kinesiology think of it as a way of determining whether foods, remedies or supplements are helpful or not, or whether a person has a sensitivity to a food or substance. But the stimulus can be 'psychological': the thought of an activity, circumstance, memory, person and so on can create a stressed or unstressed response in the body, indicated by a muscle test.

For example, if you think of a past experience which still troubles you, or a person who upsets you, or a situation that taxes you, your body will indicate the stress through an unlocking muscle response. Muscle tests can also indicate an activity, remedy or other solution that counters the stress.

The art of muscle testing takes time to master but is easy to learn and will enhance any healing method. It can identify particular stresses and the best methods to heal them. This makes muscle testing a very powerful tool indeed.

Source Jonathan Livingstone| Ezine