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Therapy Definitions
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, one of the main forms of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine
(TCM), has been practiced for at least 2,500 years. In acupuncture, certain
points on the body are stimulated by the insertion of fine needles. Unlike the
hollow hypodermic needles used in mainstream medicine to give injections or to
draw blood, acupuncture needles are solid. The points can be needled between 15°
and 90° relative to the skin's surface, depending on treatment.
Acupuncture is thought to restore health by removing energy imbalances and
blockages in the body. Practitioners of TCM believe that there is a vital force
or energy called qi (pronounced "chee") that flows through the body and between
the skin surface and the internal organs, along channels or pathways called
meridians. There are 12 major and eight minor meridians. Qi regulates the
spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical harmony of the body by keeping the
forces of yin and yang in balance. Yang is a principle of heat, activity,
brightness, outwardness, while yin represents coldness, passivity, darkness,
interiority, etc. TCM does not try to eliminate either yin or yang, but rather
keep them in harmonious balance. Acupuncture may be used to raise or lower the
level of yin or yang in a specific part of the body in order to restore the
energy balance. The purpose of acupuncture in TCM is the rebalancing of
opposing energy forces in different parts of the body. In Western terms,
acupuncture is used most commonly as an adjunctive treatment for the relief of
chronic or acute pain. In the United States, acupuncture is most widely used to
treat pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders, but it has also been used
in the treatment of headaches, other painful disorders, and nausea and vomiting.
In addition to these disorders, acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of
disorders such as asthma, infertility, depression, anxiety, HIV infection, and
fibromyalgia, although its efficacy in relieving these disorders is largely
unproven. Acupuncture should not be used to treat traumatic injuries and other
emergency conditions requiring immediate surgery. Also, while it appears to have
benefits in relieving symptoms such as pain under the proper circumstances, it
has not been shown to alter the underlying course of a disease.
The exact mechanism by which acupuncture works is not known. Studies have
demonstrated a variety of physiologic effects such as release in the brain of
various chemicals and hormones, alteration of immune function, blood pressure,
and body temperature.
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