Acupuncture Points Info
Acupuncture points are central to the practice of acupuncture. Numbered
sequentially from 1 to 41 (large points), and from 1 to 33 (small
points), they are studied by licensed acupuncturists to effectively
treat their patients. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a system
of 20 lines connecting acupoints or meridians through which qi flows.
According to TCM, all diseases are a result of disruptions in the flow
of this qi or life force.
In all, there are over 360 acupuncture points which can be used for
stimulation. When fine needles are inserted into these points, the flow
of energy through those points can be either interrupted or
strengthened. By directing this energy, many health problems can be
healed or improved. Tender acupuncture points may indicate area of
abnormal energy flow.
Because of their fear of needles, many people are afraid to try
acupuncture. Luckily, the insertion of these hair-thin needles along
acupuncture points is most often painless. And during the few times
when discomfort is experienced, the sensation is akin to a mosquito
bite and is far less painful than receiving an injection or donating
blood.
Where exactly do the meridians exist? What paths do they take
throughout the body? While TCM has already mapped them out, Western
science is still trying to play catchup with its own set of tools. The
challenge lies, however, in the subtlety of this life force energy,
which prevents Western tools from being able to reliably detect it yet.
Westerners have tried mapping the meridians to blood or nerve pathways
with little success. Some now believe that the connective tissues in
the body may hold the meridians.
However, Western scientists have gathered data suggesting acupuncture
points are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. The Gate
Theory supposes that pain signals must pass through high traffic
"gates" as they move from an area of pain or injury through the spinal
cord and to the brain. Like streets or freeways, there is a limited to
the amount of traffic or signals that these gates can carry.
Acupuncture helps to generate signals which move faster than the pain
signals, crowding those pain signals out because of the limited
capacity of the nerves. The pain signals are thus blocked from reaching
the brain. The acupuncture signals may also start the flow of
endorphins and other pain-reducing hormones and chemicals, or perhaps
signal the immune system to pay attention to specific body parts.
Studies have also found that the stimulation of acupuncture points not
only attenuates pain but also affects directly the body's circulation,
blood pressure, cell production in blood, and immune system function.
The points also stimulate the brain and spinal cord to release
chemicals into the rest of the body which alter brain chemistry in a
beneficial way.
Regardless of when Western science finally unravels the mystery of
acupuncture and its points, there is ample evidence to show that
acupuncture is effective in treating a variety of diseases. These
acupuncture points stimulate the central nervous system at points along
the skin with increased electrical conductivity. By balancing qi
through its influence on the yin and yang forces in the body,
acupuncture is capable of producing amazing medical results.
The Article Author:
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