Acupuncture
Acupuncture
originated in China over 3,000 years ago and is presently
used as a primary health care system throughout the world.
It is a method of balancing and building the body's life
force or energy known as "qi." Acupuncturists
recognize particular pathways called "meridians"
through which this energy circulates. Oriental medicine
views disease as the result of an imbalance or blockage
in the body's natural energy flow. Such imbalance manifests
in physical, emotional and psychosomatic stress-related
disorders. The diagnostic process takes into account our
physical and emotional constitution, and incorporates
the external environmental or lifestyle influences that
may be related to the symptoms. Very thin, sterile, stainless
steel needles are inserted into specific points along
meridians in order to disperse the blockage and mobilize
the body's natural immune response. Needling is one of
a number of energy balancing techniques. Also included
in traditional therapies are dietary counseling, various
oriental massage techniques, moxibustion (a technique
of stimulating acupuncture points with heat), cupping
(a suctioning therapy good for pain relief, as well as
herbal remedies).
Symptoms
and diseases are not isolated occurrences; they are signs
pointing to an underlying imbalance within the body. Oriental
Medicine treats not only the symptoms of an illness, but
also aims to correct the underlying imbalances that have
caused the illness to arise. In other words, the focus
is on the root of the disease, as well as the symptoms.
This treatment approach results in better overall health,
and it helps to prevent the return of an illness and its
symptoms in the future.
esprucha@gmail.com
www.acupuncturesantarosa.org
