Acupuncture
| Published: 27th January 2008 15:12 |
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a complementary therapy originating in the Far East. An acupuncturist tries to stimulate the body's own healing powers to restore its natural balance, which may have been disturbed by physical, mental or emotional stress.
Stimulating acupuncture points is thought to release blockages in the flow of "vital energy" or Qi (pronounced chee).
It is a holistic approach to pain and stress relief as the focus is on the overall wellbeing of the patient rather than on treating individual symtoms in isolation - the practitioner will develop a personalised treatment plan for each individual.
Small, fine needles are inserted at different points over the body, usually on the wrists, ankles, feet, back and abdomen. It is obviously invasive but not at all painful if done properly!
For more information go to the British Acupuncture Council's website or click here for a more sceptical point of view!
What do you think?
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
