It is no secret that acupuncture has been used for centuries with great success in China, although it has not been as widely accepted in the western world. Despite the many success testimonials, there are still a great number of medical professionals who doubt its real effectiveness, although how they can argue with mountains of success stories is beyond me.

Acupuncture is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM. The basis of it is that it is believed that health is essentially a balance of “yin and yang” within one’s body. One’s life force, also known as “Qi” is envisioned to flow through the body in a manner similar to the way that blood (yin) flows through the body. Where acupuncture plays a part is that it helps the flow of both Qi and the blood, and this is done by applying fine needles to specific pressure points on the body. This is thought to release stagnation, drain excess, and tone wherever there is a deficiency.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treats the body as a whole. Disease is considered to be some type of imbalance of yin and yang, where the purpose of acupuncture is to restore that balance. There are 14 channels in the body where are the particular acupuncture pressure points that are used in treatment, channels along which the Qi and the blood flow.

Acupuncture affects many different parts of the body and is known to affect the body’s immune system. It has also been shown to stimulate certain hormones. The result of this is that it affects how the blood flows and how certain gastric secretions are released. It has been proven, even to the doubting US medical community, that acupuncture can lower a person’s blood pressure and also has an effect on the body’s production of both white and red blood cells.

Medical science knows that our bodies operate by small electrical pulses. Acupuncture taps into this electrical current and has an impact on the body’s electromagnetic fields, which any electrician will verify will change the flow. These flow changes have an impact on how the body reacts and will create different responses. These new responses are what re-balances of the yin and yang, where the end result is relief from the physical problem being suffered.

Your telephone book would be the first place to check for an acupuncture doctor or acupuncture therapist. Some of your local licensed massage therapists may know of an acupuncture doctor or may be an acupuncture therapist themselves. It would not hurt to also check with herbal medicine experts to see if they can refer you to someone.

After finding some candidates, be sure to interview them and express any concerns that you may have. Determine where they studied acupuncture and how long they have been practicing it as a form of healing. Determine what you can expect for your particular ailment and be sure your questions are addressed and answered.

Sometimes allopathic medicine is used in conjunction with acupuncture, TCM, and other therapies, depending on the ailment. It is used to treat a variety of ailments including depression, arthritis, fertility, and many other discomforts. Acupuncture is something you may wish to consider if traditional treatments are not having the desired effect for you.