How does acupuncture work?

This highly effective system of medical care is based on natural laws and patterns which govern the movement of vital life-giving energy, both in nature and in the body. This energy, called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”), moves through the body in precise channels supporting the organs and all functions of the body, mind and spirit. When Qi is flowing freely throughout our being, our internal organs function harmoniously and we have abundant energy. When “Qi” is moving disharmoniously, imbalance begins to surface in the form of specific symptoms or we simply begin to feel unwell. To address the underlying cause of a condition, these symptoms are viewed in relationship to the totality of a person. The gentle insertion of hair thin needles at specific points along the channels of chi energy, help restore harmony. In the presence of this subtle, yet profound intervention, symptoms often resolve and patients frequently experience renewed vitality.

What are the added benefits of Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is effective for a wide range of ailments as listed below. It is also effective for individuals who simply do not feel well or do not have a western medical diagnosis. Once the flow of energy improves, nearly all symptoms respond with healing.

By balancing and strengthening your energy, acupuncture helps you feel:

• Energetic
• Mentally sharp and focused
• Improved sleep
• Symptoms gone or easier to manage
• Ease in taking care of yourself
• Greater sense of well-being

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the oldest continuously practiced medical system in the world and is used by 1/3 of the worlds population as a primary health care system. Because of its low cost and non-invasive techniques, acupuncture is making its way into hospitals, medical schools, military bases and insurance companies are beginning to recognize its effectiveness. The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture to be effective for over 30 diseases and conditions and therapeutic for over 68 conditions.

Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved – through controlled trials—to be an effective treatment:

• Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
• Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
• Biliary colic
• Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
• Dysentery, acute bacillary
• Dysmenorrhoea, primary
• Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
• Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
• Headache
• Hypertension, essential
• Hypotension, primary
• Induction of labour
• Knee pain
• Leukopenia
• Low back pain
• Malposition of fetus, correction of
• Morning sickness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck pain
• Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
• Periarthritis of shoulder
• Postoperative pain
• Renal colic
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sciatica
• Sprain
• Stroke
• Tennis elbow

Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown:

Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
• Acne vulgaris
• Alcohol dependence and detoxification
• Bell’s palsy
• Bronchial asthma
• Cancer pain
• Cardiac neurosis
• Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
• Cholelithiasis
• Competition stress syndrome
• Craniocerebral injury, closed
• Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
• Earache
• Epidemic haemorrhagic fever
• Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)
• Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection
• Female infertility
• Facial spasm
• Female urethral syndrome
• Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
• Gastrokinetic disturbance
• Gouty arthritis
• Hepatitis B virus carrier status
• Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)
• Hyperlipaemia
• Hypo-ovarianism
• Insomnia
• Labour pain
• Lactation, deficiency
• Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
• Ménière disease
• Neuralgia, post-herpetic
• Neurodermatitis
• Obesity
• Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence
• Osteoarthritis
• Pain due to endoscopic examination
• Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein–Leventhal syndrome)
• Postextubation in children
• Postoperative convalescence
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Prostatitis, chronic
• Pruritus
• Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome
• Raynaud syndrome, primary
• Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Retention of urine, traumatic
• Schizophrenia
• Sialism, drug-induced
• Sjögren syndrome
• Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
• Spine pain, acute
• Stiff neck
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
• Tietze syndrome
• Tobacco dependence
• Tourette syndrome
• Ulcerative colitis, chronic
• Urolithiasis
• Vascular dementia
• Whooping cough (pertussis)