Lots of times, how people deal with an ailment, depends on their incomes. People with plenty of money may go visit the doctor whenever their bodies feel abnormal. People with very little money will probably wait until an ailment becomes a major problem before they think about visiting a doctor. The medical and drug industries are very lucrative and for the most part, they work hand and hand. Neither industry would like it, if their patients found other ways to deal with their health problems. There have been quite a few alternative medicines, offered to the public, over the years, but one of the oldest is acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a technique used to heal the body, by inserting and adjusting needles, into specific acupuncture points. The theory behind acupuncture is to let out excess energy or blood, by making holes in the body along certain pathways, called meridians. Sometimes it's required to let out blood and not energy; while other times, the energy gets let out and not blood. There is an assumption, that diseases enter the body, through the skin. So, if a needle can be inserted into the body, at the same level of the disease, then the disease could be let out.

Acupuncture started in China, more than 2000 years ago. Because of improved communications, Chinese medicine made its way into Japan, during the 6th century. In the 17th century, Sugiyama created the insertion tube, which is the tube that needles are inserted through. Acupuncture reached the West, in the early 1900s, by way of France. By 1950, acupuncture was known all over Europe, but it wasn't until the 1970s, that America started to recognize it. The first acupuncture clinic, opened in Washington, D.C., in 1972.

Acupuncture can help treat a lot of different illnesses by relieving the pain associated with the illness. Some of the conditions that can benefit from acupuncture are, menopause, diarrhoea, chronic pain, anxiety and high blood pressure. Acupuncture may not apply to all problems, so people need to make sure their illness will benefit from the treatment. Also, breast implants, pregnancy, a pacemaker and drugs, may increase the danger of using acupuncture.

Although acupuncture has been an accepted form of treatment, for many years, it still involves a certain amount of risks. A hematoma or nerve damage could occur, if the wrong body parts are punctured. Brain damage or stroke is possible, with deep needling at the base of the skull. If needles aren't properly sterilized, then diseases could be transferred. Side effects from using acupuncture, are actually considered lower than using conventional treatments, but it's important that the public knows that there are risks to consider before they choose acupuncture.

Acupuncture was not a widely accepted treatment, when it began. It took many years for people to even consider it as a form of medicine. Although medicine has made many advances over the years, there's still a market for non-conventional treatments. Acupuncture has proven its effectiveness over the years and now, many people gladly choose acupuncture over conventional treatments.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Acupuncture