Acupuncture originated in Eastern culture and has been around for thousands of years. Over time this discipline has spread worldwide with a user demographic ranging from teenage athletes who would like to increase performance using cupping to helping elders with gastrointestinal and back pain. The offerings and benefits of acupuncture are numerous. Acupuncture offers alternative holistic options for ailments such as PTSD, soft tissue issues, internal organs, and fertility.
The idea of being stuck with needles is unsettling to many people which often discourages people from considering this as an option, but it should be made clear that not all needles were created for the same purposes. Needles used in acupuncture are considerably smaller than needles used to draw blood or administer injection, usually the size of a coarse hair. They are built with the intention to be unobtrusive and to aid the body’s natural intention to move "Qi", Asian word for energy, and help you as we like to say "break the cycle." Our body is a sophisticated machine that is affected by different components that work in collaboration to help us power through our day. If there is an imbalance in one of these areas such as sleep, energy, digestion, and stress then other areas will step in and compensate in other ways which is the cause of blockages of energy, pain, extra stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
A very common treatment that people use acupuncture for is stress. In this case the needle is administered to a few areas at the hands, feet, and forehead which allows the mind and body to reset. The treatment is simple and it normally involves a nap. You will relax in a low light soothing atmosphere and patients frequently report that in the 25 minutes they rested with the needles that they felt like they had slept deeply for hours. Hopefully this shed some light on this subject if it is a new one for you, and if you have more questions about other treatments please don’t hesitate to ask us a question. It will likely inspire us to feature the topic in an upcoming blog. Happy Holidays everybody.