Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine needles into the body to promote health, prevent illness, reduce pain, and address disease by encouraging and restoring natural systemic balance. It is widely and increasingly acknowledged as an effective means of treating a range of physical and emotional conditions.
The classical theoretical framework for the practice of acupuncture is a system of lines or fields of energy (“channels” or “meridians”) that run through and communicate between all parts of the body. This intricate web of channels joins the extremities to the center, the surface to the core, and the body to the mind and spirit. An acupuncturist inserts fine needles into specific points in the body to tap into a channel, dispersing stagnation and tension or toniying weakness, depending on what is needed. Pain can be reduced or eliminated, organ function improved, energy levels increased, health maintained, emotional issues resolved, and a sense of peace attained.
There are many theories about how, from a modern biomedical perspective, acupuncture works. Some contend that the channels represent blood vessels, nerves, or neuroendocrine interactions. Others look to the muscles to explain the channels, or to the matrix of connective tissue that extends through the entire body. There is evidence to support all of these ideas, because ALL of these structures and systems are involved in health and illness. Acupuncture can access the body and communicate through this network of structure and function to bring about profound changes in health.