ST. JOSEPH
WELLNESS CENTRE
​(한국 한방병원)
902-865-6888

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

Acupuncture, simply stated, is a treatment principle that, when properly administered, can be used to effectively treat pain and dysfunction in the body, and to restore, promote, and maintain good health. Acupuncture originated in China between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago. Its use spread throughout ancient Egypt, the Middle East, the Roman Empire and into Western Europe as merchants told of the amazing discoveries the people of the Orient had developed.

Acupuncture consists of the stimulation of specific points on the body, usually by the insertion of very fine, solid needles. The Acupuncture points may also be stimulated by heat, cold, pressure, electricity, ultra-sound, and even lasers to achieve therapeutic results.

At present time, Acupuncture is used extensively throughout the Orient to treat a wide variety of medical problems and is an important part of the Oriental system of preventive medicine, along with proper nutrition and exercise. As its use has spread to other parts of the world, Acupuncture has become a generally accepted form of treatment in Eastern and Western Europe, Great Britain, the United States, and throughout Asia. Although Acupuncture remains a controversial subject in the United States, it is gaining greater acceptance as the results of scientific and clinical investigations are complied with.

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

Early Chinese physicians discovered that Chi travels throughout the body in a network of channels called meridians. The movement of energy throughout meridians, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, affects all body functions and should be ideally balanced. If a disruption of energy flow exists, it can alter the entire system, producing pain or symptoms in the body. Acupuncture’s goal is to restore balance in the body’s energy (Chi). By stimulating acupuncture points located on the system of meridians, blocked Chi is released, correcting any energy imbalance, and health is therefore restored.

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ARE THERE ANY DANGERS ASSOCITATED WITH ACUPUNCTURE?

There is always some degree of danger in inserting a needle into the body for any purpose. However, in the hands of a competent practitioner with a thorough knowledge of Acupuncture and Human Anatomy, Acupuncture is an extremely safe therapeutic procedure. Modern Acupuncture sterilizes their needles in the same manner as they would sterilize surgical instruments in order to prevent infection. Researchers at U.C.L.A. have reported that in over 30.000 Acupuncture treatments, there has not been a single case of infection, broken needle, or nerve or organ damage. Children under the age of eight require a special type of Acupuncture treatment that does not involve penetration of the skin.

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HOW MANY TREATMENTS ARE REQUIRED?

The number of treatments varies with different individuals and different kinds of problems. Just a few treatments, or sometimes even a single treatment, may be sufficient for acute problems. More chronic problems generally require a longer period of treatment, and the initial response is also more variable. Some patients notice an immediate improvement after the first treatment, while others may require several treatments before improvement is noticed. In rare cases, some may experience a temporary worsening of symptoms after a few treatments, but this is usually followed by improvement. Because of this variability, it is essential to complete an adequate trial of Acupuncture before making a conclusion about its effectiveness.

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HOW DOES ORIENTAL MEDICINE WORK?

In recent years, more and more people have taken the time to educate themselves about health: they pay attention to nutrition, they want to be physically fit, they want to feel at home in their bodies, and they try to understand what it is that makes them ill. One sign of this turning point is a tendency to treat the individual as a whole being; body, mind, and soul are seen as an inseparable unit. This means that every physical illness denotes an underlying imbalance in the psyche or soul and must be treated accordingly. Oriental medicine treats the body and the mind as a whole rather than as separate unrelated parts, and health is the state in which the body and mind are in harmony and balance.