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Uncommon
Cures |
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Uncommon
Cures |
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INTRODUCTION
If you are new to the world of alternative medicine, the 15 healing methods that follow may at first seem less scientific than those you are accustomed to using. That is to be expected. But over the next decade, be assured that doctors of all kinds will be incorporating a number of these modalities into their practices. Note that we don't say "replacing." Because the best doctors and hospitals will be broadening their scopes to practice complementary medicine. It is not exclusionary medicine, nor is it magic. Over time it simply may be a better blend of what's good for what ails you. |
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ACUPRESSURE
A hands-on medicine that is at least a few thousand years old, acupressure evolved as a blend of massage and acupuncture. It is designed to unleash or lift the restrictions that injury has placed on the body's flow of energy. It is also used for preventive health. While it is based on the same principles of energy flow as acupuncture, acupressure uses fingers, knuckles or blunt-edged instruments instead of needles. Pressure is applied to specific locations on the body, called meridian (or acupressure) points, which correspond with the patient's diagnosis. Both specific, easily located symptoms, such as neck and shoulder pain, or nonspecific symptoms, such as menstrual problems, may be treated with acupressure. The pressure can be extremely light--just the weight of the finger--or deeper, like a massage. The touch encourages the free flow of the body's energy, or chi, in places where it is blocked. Sometimes called shiatsu, this massage includes pressure applied to specific areas of the body also targeted in acupuncture. One advantage of acupressure is that it can be a form of self-care--that is, it can be administered at home, which is important to many people who suffer from chronic pain. Perhaps most important to acupressure practitioners and Americans unfamiliar with alternative remedies is the fact that acupressure is immediately understandable. It makes sense: When we bash a toe or burn a thumb in the kitchen, we instinctively grab the painful parts and hold on, tightly, in order to blunt the hurt. And you don't have to know anything about meridians or endorphins to know that this works, at least temporarily. |
| Acupressure Resource |
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The
Acupressure Institute 1533 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94709 800-442-2232; 510-845-1059 (in California) http://www.acupressure.com |
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ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture is a lot more than needles, and it offers a lot more than pain relief. A complete medical system that stretches back at least 3,000 years, acupuncture is a technique of medical treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine. Disciples of the method and the use of related treatments moved to other Asian countries around A.D. 1000. In China today, many hospitals have two wings: One devoted to acupuncture, the other devoted to Western, or allopathic, medicine. Although it is used to treat illness, reduce pain and manage chronic conditions, a cornerstone belief of acupuncture is the promotion of good health through preventive measures. In brief, acupuncture uses very fine needles, pressure, heat and exercise to restore or redirect energy in the body that is believed to directly and indirectly affect health. Three kinds of energy--yin, yang and qi--are central to the core doctrine, as is the belief that 12 main meridians run through the body and carry an energy force that affects the workings of internal organs and tissues. Altogether, acupuncturists use nearly 1,000 designated points in their treatment in an effort to bring the energy force back into balance. Depending on the severity of the condition in question, a treatment can include anywhere from 1 to 10 or 20 or more procedures. You can think of meridians as feedback loops of energy--a communication through the whole body, telling it what to do and what's going on. Sometimes things get stuck, and needles in the right spots can clear up the problem, whether it's too much energy or not enough. One theory is that acupuncture works by stimulating endorphins, those natural, morphine-like painkillers found in the brain. Regardless of the patients' individual illnesses, acupuncturists never treat a symptom without relating it to weaknesses in other parts of the body. Acupuncture is truly a holistic form of medical treatment. Acupuncture Alert Although it is extremely rare for an acupuncture patient to suffer any kind of adverse reaction to the slender needles used in most procedures, one recent case in the medical literature has reminded acupuncturists to be a bit more vigilant.In the British medical journal The Lancet, a doctor described a disturbing incident that resulted in a patient's death. One of the needles passed through the patient's sternum (breastbone) by mistake and pierced the heart. There was no reason for the acupuncturist to have known that the patient had a congenital defect--a hole in the sternum--as these kinds of defects are difficult to detect. But the incident reminded acupuncturists everywhere of the potential for problems in what is normally a worry-free treatment. |
| How to Find a Reputable Acupuncturist |
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To
locate qualified acupuncturists in your area, contact:
The American Association
of Oriental Medicine (formerly American Association of Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine) ACUPUNCTURE "LITE" Not everyone will take to needle therapy right away, especially Westerners who are new to the idea of energy medicine and healing "flows" throughout the body. For this reason, acupuncturists in North America (and elsewhere) have learned how to use heat, magnetic waves, ultrasound, lasers and suction rather then needles to stimulate acupuncture points. Plus, even some acupuncturists say that needles are not always the best way to treat an ailment. Even though these alternate methods have been dubbed by some as "acupuncture lite," they should not be taken lightly. They may turn out to be a particularly powerful way of helping acupuncture spread its message--and its powers--to millions of former skeptics in years to come. |
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1994-2007 by: The Imagery Birthing Center |