December 6, 2007

Curing High Blood Pressure With Acupuncture

Tip! While the lineage-based schools encompass all of the modern medicine required for national accreditation and licensing individuals to practice acupuncture, they also include ancient wisdom that is essential for self-development of the healer. Their approach differs from the western biomedical model in that �The essential art of Chinese medicine is the foretelling and prevention of disease rather than the treatment of illness after it has manifested as painful or distressing physical and mental symptoms�.

Do you prefer to adopt a natural and safe way to cure your blood pressure rather than swallowing those pills and medicines? Well, with growing awareness, many people today refrain from taking those chemical tablets and capsules to cure their diseases and disorders.
After all several safe and natural modes of blood pressure treatment are known today.

Acupuncture is one such treatment that has been making strong statements with people struck with the hypertension disorder. It is proved that acupuncture can effectively bring your blood pressure down to the normal levels.

High blood pressure generally occurs when arteries narrow down, with the blood exerting high pressure against its walls. And if this continues over a period of time, this high energy blood damages the blood vessels. The situation can further worsen to harden the arteries.

There are some peculiar forms of acupuncture treatment to treat high blood pressure. To get the best results, acupuncture is now combined with the process of electric stimulation. This type of treatment is known as electro-acupuncture.

This treatment involves the insertion of acupuncture needles in the forearm, just above your wrist. As this process is done the needles are electrically stimulated. As a result electricity starts flowing from the needles to the other body parts. This electrical stimulation carries low frequency. These charges that are carrying low frequency ultimately works in the direction of reducing your blood pressure.

Tip! The needles employed by acupuncturists today are stainless steel, solid (unlike standard needles used for drawing blood which are hollow) and vary in size or width gauge. Acupuncture needles consist of a stainless steel shaft and a handle made out of copper or steel.

The theory employed in the acupuncture treatment is very simple. The needles are inserted on certain points on the wrist, the forearm and the leg that immediately excites the production of some chemicals in the brain cells. These chemicals interact with the muscles of the heart, thereby reducing its activity. As the activity of the heart reduces, the demand of oxygen in the body reduces. Thus all these developments leads to lower blood pressure.

Apart from curing your hypertension problem, acupuncture also promotes the healing of other problems related to your heart. That is, with acupuncture you can keep healthy for a longer life.

Still, in some cases acupuncture treatment alone may not help you. Though you can get rid of your blood pressure disorder soon with the consumption of certain herbs which paces up your aim. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle pattern will also considerably help you in attaining a normal blood pressure level.

Tip! On March 29, 1996, the Food and Drug Administration bestowed the Class 2 status of ‘medical tools’ to acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles were previously listed under Class 3, or ‘experimental devices.

To get more information on blood pressure, high blood pressure and hypertension treatment visit http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp

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December 3, 2007

Depression and Acupuncture-A Closer Look

Tip! Students enrolled in Schools for Acupuncture discover a compelling field of holistic health care and Oriental medicine that encompasses a broad and versatile spectrum of natural healing disciplines. Some of the courses offered in Schools for Acupuncture will naturally include acupuncture, Chinese Medicine (or TCM - Traditional Chinese Medicine), Herbology, Qigong, Tai Chi, Homeopathy, Chinese Medical Massage (Tuina), and many associated clinical courses and practical lessons.

Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture is a healing method developed over the past 2000 plus years in China and the Far East. Popular culture portrays acupuncture as pain therapy administered by practitioners using thin needles placed in specific points (i.e. acupoints) of the body. All in all this is a fair portrayal, although the patient in these portrayals is usually shown to be a bit different and quirky and not deserving the fruits of the ancient practice. Although so-called “modern” medicine has been slow to accept the ancient practice it has become increasingly more “open” because it’s becoming more and more difficult to dismiss the successes of treatments on conditions like depression.

The specific origin of acupuncture has been lost in the mists of time. One might logically conclude that acupuncture has survived because it works and that the successful aspects of acupressure and bloodletting slowly developed over the centuries into a separate discipline, fueled by the confidence of the patient in this so-called mysterious practice. Unlike Western science, the discoveries and studies of TCM practitioners were never documented and shared with the public at large. Rather, theories and practices were passed down from master to apprentice in secret. Nobody knows for sure, but it’s possible that successful techniques were compiled around the beliefs of the Eastern cultures.

Tip! Additionally, some acupuncture colleges provide online courses, as well as continuing education courses to alumni and other practitioners. This line of academics is essential to the practicing acupuncturist who is maintaining or improving his skills in the field.

Acupuncture treatment depends on precise placement of fine needles in “acupoints” drawn by centuries of practitioners. Points are found along lines of “chi” or energy from major organs that run along the back and limbs of the human body. As with Feng Shui, the idea is to allow the chi to flow unimpeded while balancing yin and yang. Needles are mostly placed along the right side of the body to correct the flow of chi when treating depression with acupuncture.

A study done in Tucson divided women with mild depression into three groups. The first group was treated with the recommended therapy for acupuncture and depression. The second group was treated using acupuncture therapy normally used for other conditions and the third group; the control group was simply put on a waiting list.

The first two groups were told they received the traditional acupuncture and depression treatment. The finding showed the first group had as much improvement as if they had received medication. The other two groups fared less well but had a little improvement.

The Cochrane Group, a scientific group that is looking for evidence concerning acupuncture, looked into this study for the effectiveness of acupuncture and depression and decided that the results were not convincing enough to receive their seal of approval. Of course, the conclusions of the Cochrane Group must be taken with a grain of salt because it’s filled with people who hold a bias against traditional Chinese medicine and unless the results were so overwhelming they couldn’t discount them they would look for any reason they could to discount the results.

Tip! To spread this knowledge and education in the field of acupuncture, a number of acupuncture schools have opened up in different countries. The acupuncture schools aim at educating students; training them to be healers in the art, science and philosophy of acupuncture; and to be instructed in herbal and Oriental medicine.

While science will continue to study the so-called efficacy of acupuncture and depression, the bottom line is that acupuncture has been used successfully on a wide range of health conditions for thousands of years. The proof is in the many anecdotal stories told by happy patients.

Tip - For options in finding the best lender for you, check out the links below.

Visit traditional chinese medicines or infertility and traditional chinese medicine or acupuncture schools for more information on acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

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November 30, 2007

Can Acupuncture Help Control Menopause Symptoms

Tip! The general theory of acupuncture is based on the assumption that there are patterns of energy flow (Qi) through the body that are essential for health. The disturbances or disruptions in this flow are responsible for health diseases.

The treatment for migraines and other menopause symptoms is not the same in every part of the world. Different cultures have different medicine practices and beliefs. However, it is interesting to note that the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture, is becoming a popular therapeutic method in Western culture to treat a variety of psychological and physical conditions including menopause.

TCM views menopause as the time in a woman’s life when her body shuts down her natural monthly reproductive cycle because she can no longer reproduce. However, it is believed that her body stops menses to conserve her qi (body life energy), so as she ages she can retain all of her resources.

Unlike women in western culture, for most women in the East, menopause is rather uneventful. It is thought the reasons for this is because Western women lead a more fast-paced, stress-ridden lifestyle, and tend to consume poorer diets. Thus, as a result, women in Western culture tend to experience far more intense menopausal symptoms than their sisters in the East.

Tip! Depending on individual acupuncture college, there may be varying levels of academic programs; but in many cases, Oriental medicine schools often provide at least two. Commonly, an acupuncture college will extend degree programs in Master of Acupuncture and Master of Oriental Medicine.

Despite the real causes of menopausal symptoms, the fact remains that Traditional Chinese Medicine does not consider menopause to be a syndrome. The thought is that women suffering through menopause have a variety of qi problems such as constrained liver qi and kidney yin deficiency. In other words, their qi is imbalanced and is wreaking havoc on their mind and body.

Thus, the goal of TCM is to uniquely treat each woman based on her specific symptoms. This means that different techniques aside from acupuncture may also be suggested, such as Chinese herbs, lifestyle or dietary changes and exercises - all of which are used to help restore balance to the body.

How does acupuncture work? Acupuncture is based on the belief that there are approximately 2000 acupuncture points (trigger points) throughout the body. These trigger points are linked to one another via a group of 20 different meridians (pathways). Meridians are responsible for conducting qi between the surface of the body and the internal organs. Qi has a specific affect on each point it passes through. When qi properly flows throughout the meridians and all its points, it maintains a healthy balance in the mind and body.

During an acupuncture treatment for menopause, an acupuncture therapist will help a woman bring balance back to her body by focusing treatment on the trigger points related to her symptoms. Only some trigger points are used, and will vary depending on the symptoms. Thus, every menopausal woman is treated individually based on her problem.

Tip! While it may seem a harsh judgement, most of the TCM schools represent an Americanized version of Chinese Medicine that bears a growing resemblence to western biomedical training. As Mark Seem (President and CEO, Tri-State College of Acupuncture) notes in the article below, ‘acupuncture is about to be lost and scattered to the four winds of the health care world.

Acupuncture is administered through the use of tiny, solid needles that are inserted into the targeted trigger points. The purpose of the needles is to help stimulate the meridians to encourage qi production. This might mean needles could be inserted into the shoulders, arms, legs or even the feet. If inserted properly, needles shouldn’t cause pain or bleeding; however, their may be slight discomfort or a tingling or numbing sensation which fades fast. Treatment is often very relaxing, and sessions usually last for 30 minutes.

Does acupuncture benefit menopause? Yes. Research has found that most women who participated in different acupuncture studies found relief from menopausal symptoms including:
� Hot flashes
� Insomnia
� Stress
� Anxiety
� Vaginal dryness

If you are interested in using acupuncture for alternative or complimentary treatment to ease menopause symptoms, it is imperative that you visit a qualified and experienced acupuncture therapist, in order to realistically determine if this method is an effective treatment option for you.

Remember, no two women are treated the same, and acupuncture therapy is often long term, ongoing treatment.

If you would like more information on the different ways to ease menopause symptoms, please visit Natural Menopause Relief Secrets.

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