Traditional Oriental Medicine is one of the oldest forms of healing known.
Acupuncture, herbs, diet, massage and exercise are components of the health care system of China that can be
traced back at least 2500 years. Today, acupuncture is widely practiced in the West.
In the United
States, acupuncture has been taught and practiced since 1978, and the National Institutes of Health have approved acupuncture
as an efficacious clinical procedure. Ever increasing in popularity, acupuncture is licensed as a primary health care profession
in California.
Acupuncture
has been used by millions of American patients and performed by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists and other
practitioners for the relief or prevention of pain and for a variety of health conditions.
How Acupuncture Works
According to
the classical doctrines of Chinese medicine, there is an unceasing flow of “life energy” throughout the human
body. The vital energy originates from the major organs and flows along the continuous circulatory channels called meridians.
When the energy flow is smooth and in balance, one is healthy; if the balance is disturbed, then one feels ill or in pain.
There
are specific points along the meridians, called acupuncture points, where the energy flow can be stimulated and the function
of related organs can be regulated to restore the delicate balance and promote healing.
Acupuncture, as well as moxibustion, is applied to points selected on the basis of the meridian
system. By balancing the circulation of energy, acupuncture normalizes physiological dysfunction and promotes the body’s
harmonious equilibrium.
