When a person is under stress, their body starts what is known as a stress response. A number of chemicals are released into the bloodstream, the heart beats faster, breathing becomes more rapid, and muscles tense up. If the person is planning on running away from a large animal, these are all very good responses. For the businessman at his desk taking a phone call, these are not good reactions. The body easily takes care of an occasional response like this, the chemicals are cleaned out, and the body becomes relaxed once again. However, when this reaction occurs a number of times a week, the stress starts to affect the resting state of the body. Muscles no longer entirely relax, and the frequent release of these chemicals create other problems. Chronic stress can cause such problems as sleeplessness, stomach and digestion problems, panic attacks, and pain of some sort (such as frequent headaches). Long term problems related to stress include strokes, high blood pressure, and colitis or other bowel problems.
A person may try to handle stress on his or her own, by finding something to mask it. Alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, and even lots of sugar can make the person feel better. One of the most common "pills" after a stressful moment is a cup of coffee and a doughnut, or possibly a cigarette. Physicians can also prescribe medications to combat some of these symptoms, both psychological and physical. Antidepressants, one of the more common medications for this, only offer short-term relief at best.
The obvious answer is to remove the source of stress. However, many times that simply is not possible. Is there another solution? One of the most successful results from acupuncture is the relaxation of the patient, followed by the removal of tension from the body. This relaxation response produces a decreased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and increased energy and possible tissue regeneration. There is frequently a feeling of well being and self-confidence. As the acupuncture treatment stimulates and redirects the vital energy of the body, each muscle and organ system begins to function the way that it should. Acupuncture is not only used to relieve the stress response of a patient, but also in a number of cases it has made the doctor prescribed antidepressant unnecessary. With wider use of acupuncture, there could be a substantial reduction in the consumption of drugs such as Prozac.
Standard acupuncture techniques using needles are very effective to combat chronic stress. If this were more widely accepted by Americans under routine stress, we would have a much healthier population. In addition, acupuncture treatments that use low levels of electricity have been found to be even more successful in lowering blood pressure. Several researchers that use electric stimulation have been able to regrow tissue in animals, and this without any scars. The combination of using acupuncture therapy for blood pressure management and possible healthy tissue regrowth is a very exciting topic for people with heart and circulatory problems
Acupuncture is one of the most successful treatments for this American problem. Not only do the symptoms decrease, but the acupuncture treatment results in a healthier body as well.
When you visit an acupuncture clinic, you may get treatment and feel much better without ever knowing anything about the philosophy behind acupuncture, and that is fine. However, your acupuncture practitioner knows a vast amount of information that is not only interesting, but will help you maintain your health. One area that is particularly interesting is the Eastern medical idea of organs. We all know what organs are, or at least examples of them: heart, liver, lungs, etc. Chinese medicine has a similar concept in several ways, but it looks at them a bit differently. In both views, an organ is a structure that performs certain clearly stated functions. However, in Chinese medicine, each organ also has a particular kind of energy (called Qi) associated with it. This energy flows in certain pathways around the body (called meridians), and so a lot of attention is given to the relation between different organs based on this circulation of Qi. Also, each organ has certain times during the day when it generates a lot of energy, and other times when it is less active. So, an organ is not just a structure, it is a combination structure-energy package that supports and controls the behavior and energy generation of the organs along the energy meridian.
There are twelve organs important to Chinese medicine. The ones that correspond to organs that we are used to include the lung, liver, stomach, heart, and kidney. Western medicine acknowledges the importance of these. Chinese medicine separates out several for individual study: the small and large intestine are two separate organs, and the pericardium (the sac around the heart) is considered a separate organ. Also, the gall bladder and urinary bladder are important in Chinese medicine, less so in western medicine. And finally, there is the "triple warmer" organ, which is a set of three places in the torso that has a particular Qi energy.
The reasons these organs are important to acupuncture is that a healthy body and mind is supported by a normal flow of Qi, and so knowing the locations of the organs and the behavior of the Qi energy is crucial to knowing and re-establishing the normal flow through acupuncture. Centuries of study have associated certain sets of symptoms with dysfunction of a particular organ: for example, dizziness, rib pain, and blurred vision suggest a liver organ malfunction. By listening to physical, mental, and emotional symptoms, and by physical observation of the patient, the acupuncture practitioner can determine the organs that are affected.
An organ may have an excess of Qi energy, or a deficiency. The acupuncture treatment will consist of stimulating the Qi energy flow using needles to rebalance the energy. For example, if an organ has a deficiency, another organ will be designated as a donor organ to supply energy, and so knowing the energy flow between organs is very important. Just like a clogged fuel line, a small change in the delivery system may see a significant improvement in several different places. In this way, a few acupuncture treatments to replenish energy in a particular organ may see improvement in a number of symptoms.
Enjoy your visits to your acupuncture clinic, and the benefits they provide. But remember, there is a world of information that supports these treatments, and knowing more about this is not only interesting, but also helpful in maintaining optimal health.
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