Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been successfully treating a broad range of conditions for thousands of years. Acupuncture is one treatment method of TCM. It is the use of pre-sterilized, single use, fine needles into points along a meridian. Meridians are like pathways or rivers that link to each other and with the major organs of the body. Energy flows to and from the organs via the meridians with the right amount of energy for your body to maintain your health.
Illness, injury, stress or pain and just daily life can interrupt the energy flow in your body. Energy flow can become blocked or depleted and this is where acupuncture can help. At acupuncture points on the meridian, energy can be rejuvenated, dispersed, or redirected to restore the energy balance to where it is needed.
One treatment method I use for pain relief called the `Dr Tan method’ doesn’t require needling in the area which is sore or painful. I may use your knees to treat your elbows or the back of your hand to treat your lower back. This means we avoid aggravating areas already sore or inflamed. Most treatments of this style use points below the elbows to the hands and from the knees to the feet.
This is the perfect method to avoid triggering more pain, like shoulder or back pain because you don’t have to take off clothes. As you may know, trying to pull a shirt over your head can hurt like hell if you have a sore shoulder.
A good analogy to help this make sense is to think of a light bulb as a metaphor for your pain. You don’t go to the bulb to turn off the light, who go to the switch on the wall. Different places on your body can be the switch to turn off the pain, even though those two places, such as your sore right shoulder and your pain-free left ankle feel completely unrelated. Though it may seem illogical there is a straight forward TCM logic underlying this system that helps it work very effectively.
People of all ages can benefit from acupuncture
You can also combine massage with your acupuncture. This is something I often do as it helps people relax more deeply and I believe increases the benefits of their treatment.
Watch the YouTube clip below for a quick visual guide to how acupuncture works.
For a more in-depth look at acupuncture this BBC documentary `Proof of Acupuncture’, is really interesting.
