What Is Acupuncture?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an “umbrella” heading for Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Cupping and Moxabustion. These are all treatments for improving and maintaining good health.
TCM has been around for at least 2,000 years. The of exact length of time that TCM has been in existence is always a debate, but we do know that it is the oldest medicine of our time. History tells us that when a person became ill, the group or tribe would help to care for them in this way: prayer, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. TCM then seemed to encompass all of the above mentioned modalities as time went on.

Acupuncture of today is the use of tiny, fine needles that are inserted into various places on the body to stimulate the flow of energy throughout the body in order to promote the body’s own natural health process. In TCM, pain or disease is simply defined as energy that is “stuck” and the needles help to move the energy along. There are 365 acupuncture points on the body, and by combining 10-15 of these points, you can stimulate different organs and tissues to encourage the healing process to occur with in the body.

Acupuncture needles are disposable, single use, and extremely small. Rarely does a person feel strong sensations much past a “pin-prick” on the surface of the skin when they receive their acupuncture treatment, however, the effects can be quite euphoric. Acupuncture releases endorphins (the body’s own pain killers, much like moraphine) that create a relaxed and delicious sense of well being. When the endorphins are released in the body, the immune system goes up, stress goes down, and life becomes much more manageable and pleasant.
Acupuncture can be measured by “ohms” through out the body, proving that acupuncture does work and is actually moving blood, body fluids, and hormones with in the system. Acupuncture encourages the production of serotonin and dopamine to the brain – the two “feel good” hormones that get low from stress and disease. Without production of these to valuable hormones we get sick and have pain.

The beauty of acupuncture is that it does not discriminate. No matter what kind of problem you have, acupuncture will help to fix all problems you may have – simply by encouraging the better flow and circulation of your whole body.

TCM for Eczema

If you are exploring alternative treatments for eczema, then you may be wondering if Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers any viable option. My girlfriend whose child has eczema, consults a TCM practitioner and finds the methods effective. Here is some research about TCM for eczema.

TCM philosophies have been in existence for 2,500 years and are continually developing as it merges with today's modern science. Chinese and western sciences diagnose and treat certain conditions like eczema very differently. TCM focuses on the environmental and psycho-emotional factors that can affect and may even be the root cause of eczema while western science focuses on bodily dysfunctions and how it can treat the certain part of the body.

TCM say that there are three main factors that cause eczema- moisture, heat and wind. It also believes that outside or environmental influences can cause certain illnesses and diseases. Climate, for instance, can bring about adverse reactions of one's body. Internal or emotional influences are also deemed as players in one's heath. As an example, stress or grief is believed to cause physical dysfunctions. TCM also perceives that diet is a great factor in determining the health of a person. Diet should always be balance and the wrong types of food intake can be a cause of a particular disease.

In general, there are three types of TCM can be recommended for eczema, one of which is acupuncture. Acupuncture is no longer a new concept but not a lot of people know that it can actually treat eczema. The procedure involves needles to trigger particular body zones to help alleviate its symptoms. TCM believes that eczema is caused by the malfunction of the body's regular soothing and cooling systems, as a result skin becomes over dry, flaky, itchy and red. Acupuncture's main objective is to cool and soothe the body tissues to treat the symptoms of eczema and to possibly prevent future flare-ups. Herbal medicine is also one way of administering Chinese medicinal philosophies. Chinese medicines are a combination of herbal plants that are found to help relieve eczema. Most Chinese drugs aims to cure the internal organs in order to strengthen their ability to prevent diseases and to cure the illness itself. TCM oftentimes come in form of herbal teas but with modern science, you can find Chinese drugs in form of capsules. Nowadays,TCM also come in the form of lotion, ointments and cream. These skin preparations are applied externally, right over the afflicted skin. They are mass-produced in the market; however, be sure to check up their ingredients and ensure that you are getting a good quality product. TCM is one alternative treatment for eczema. TCM takes time for its benefits to show. You will need to be patient if you want to try it out. Always be sure to consult with a TCM practitioner who is suitably qualified and comes highly recommended.

What Can Acupuncture Help?

An acupuncturist may be consulted by people with specific symptoms or conditions, such as pain, anxiety, arthritis, eczema, sports injuries hayfever, asthma, migraine, high blood pressure, menstral disorders, intestinal problems or pregnancy management and delivery.

While extensive practice and research has shown that acupuncture is effective in helping people with such conditions as well as with many others, it does more that simply relieve symptoms. The aim of acupuncture is to treat the whole patient and to restore the balance between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual.

In traditional acupuncture, since all illness is considered the result of an imbalance of energy, treatment can benefit almost any ill person as long as the degenerative process in the tissues of the body is not too extensive.

Many people also have acupuncture as a preventitive treatment.