"Acupuncture... ?
What is it?"
Acupuncture is a system of medicine originating in Asia that typically uses very fine, sterile, single-use needles to stimulate specific points on the body. It is a holistic form of treatment and may also include using techniques such as moxibustion, cupping, massage and electro acupuncture.
Traditional styles of acupuncture utilise an understanding of health and illness that has developed for over 2.000 years. This theorectical knowledge guides the diagnosis and the selection of acupuncture points.
In traditional theory, 'qi' is a term used to describe body proceses and functions. Acupuncture regulates the flow of qi within the body by inserting fine needles into specific points on 'meridian' pathways on the skin.
In traditional acupuncture there is no mind-body split. In other words, the physical, emotional and mental aspects of life are seen as interdependent. This enables the practitioner to treat the 'whole' person, offering a holistic treatment.
Where can I find research into acupuncture?
There has been plenty of research into the efficacy of acupuncture. Research into acupuncture as a medical treatment has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, increasing at twice the rate of research into conventional biomedicine. Over this period, there have been over 13,000 studies conducted in 60 countries, including hundreds of meta-analyses summarizing the results of thousands of human and animal studies. A wide-variety of clinical areas have been studied, including pain, cancer, pregnancy, stroke, mood disorders, sleep disorders and inflammation, to name a few.
A very reputable source for those of you who would like to learn more is: evidence based acupuncture
The British Acupuncture Council has done an excellent job of working through the swathes of research into the efficacy of acupuncture, and have a page on their website dedicated to informing the public. You can access it here.
