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Acupuncture Secrets

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Written by Bi Kun tan   
Tuesday, 26 August 2008

The Acupuncture Secrets


For centuries, Eastern medicinal practices have touted the benefits to the human body of acupuncture. For many people, the thought of having such a procedure done on their own bodies is crazy, especially considering the amount of criticism that is given to the practice's legitimacy as well that the amount of negative press the procedure gets in the popular media. Many people don't know what you can expect from the acupuncture procedure as well as the side effects and limits.



Procedures of Chinese acupuncture are actually well refined, as they have been practiced for many years. Even in today's medically advanced world, the practice has been determined as a safe, effective treatment for some people with disorders that have been a burden for years. Here is an outline of what can be expected from the acupuncture procedure as well as limits and side effects:

Acupuncture starts with the use of sterile needles, today made almost exclusively of stainless steel. The needles sterilization is done with ethylene oxide, which can be used on the needles without damaging their construction. The needles are coated on the top with a wire that allows for a better grip by the acupuncturist when placing them about the body.

The acupuncturist will take the needles and, referencing an acupuncture model which typically contains a reference of the human body and where the needles should be inserted into the skin based on the malady being treated, begin puncturing the patient's skin. A specific treatment of one disorder may require the placement of a few dozen needles in a cluster in one or two places on the body, but some patients request a full body treatment, which can include hundreds of needles placed in the skin.

Some treatments in acupuncture require the heating of the needles once placed in the skin through a process called moxibustion. The acupuncturist will utilize a burning of herbs to heat the needles that are placed in the skin. Most often, the herbs are placed on the end of the needle protruding from the patient and burned once the needle is inserted. The heat helps provide some therapy to the tissue that the needle is in contact with inside of the body.

Acupuncture is considered to be an invasive treatment and includes some risks. Minor bleeding from the site of the procedure is the main risk of the treatment - this appears in approximately 3 of every 100 patients. Most commonly, the bleeding ceases within a minute of the needle's removal from the skin, however, this differs depending on the patient.

The treatment does include other less common risks, such as hematoma, where bruises appear below the skin at the site of treatment, dizziness due to fear of needles or anxiety, and extremely rare instances of nerve injury, brain damage, lung and kidney damage resulting from incorrectly placed needles, as well as a slight chance of miscarriage with very specific treatment.

Acupuncture does benefit the body in many ways despite the risks. Common tension headaches, tension in lower back pains, nausea, vomiting, and some lower symptomatic forms of fibromyalgia can all be relieved using acupuncture. Acupuncture emerges as a reputable and reliable treatment option when considering both the understood and perceived benefits, such as stress and tension relief. As a patient, you can benefit greatly by understanding the acupuncture procedure as well as the side effects and limits involved.

Authors Bio:

Yahoo! News Search Results for "acupuncture"

Yahoo! News Search Results for "acupuncture"

Yahoo! News Search Results for "acupuncture"
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    Kelly Brewington came to the health beat a year ago after covering everything from education and government to race and immigration in her 11 years as a reporter. Since then, she has tackled stories on autism, heart failure and acupuncture used to treat drug addiction.

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