How Does Acupuncture Work

Acupuncture is one of the oldest known systems of healing. To this day, more people are treated with acupuncture than any other medical system in the world.  Acupuncture Auckland sees many of them.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis is based on the belief that external signs and symptoms reflect the condition of the internal organs.

Acupuncture Studio Reveals Imbalances

Over thousands of years Chinese Doctors have developed a very sophisticated system of correspondences between outward signs and internal imbalances. This is not a replacement for the precision of western medical tests but can be extremely helpful in revealing a pattern of disharmony in a body, which is at the root of an ailment

TCM acupuncture theory can be broken down into a couple of basic concepts:

1. The body has an energy force running throughout it. This ‘energy force’ is known as Qi. The Qi consists of all essential life activities which include the spiritual, emotional, mental and the physical aspects of life.

2. You were born with a certain amount of basic energy. Think of this as your genetic material.  This is influenced by the health of both your parents at the time of conception and the health and environment of your mother as she carried you.

3. Every day you bring energy into your body in the form of air, food, and drink.

4. All of this energy (the basic, the air, the food and the drink) gets mingled together and is distributed to every part of your body.

5. That energy does not travel at random. It follows a prescribed course to make sure that every body part gets the energy it needs to function.

6. Acupuncture scholars through history have broken this prescribed course of energy down into different segments, called meridians.  Each meridian relates to a certain organ, ie Lung, Heart, Spleen, Liver & Kidney

7. Along these meridians, there are specific points where energy tends to collect. These are the acupuncture points.

8. Inserting fine needles into these points will have various effects on the energy as it travels through the meridians and also on the organs that it relates to.

Acupuncture Auckland – How Does It Work?

How does acupuncture work from a Western Medical System (WMS) perspective?  There are a number of theories:

1. “Autonomic nervous system” which is responsible for bodies automatic functions ie sweating, heartbeat, blink.  Harvard study showed acupuncture points a areas of ANS stimulation.
2. “Augmentation of Immunity” Theory.  By some unknown process, acupuncture raises levels of triglycerides, specific hormones, prostaglandins, white blood counts, gamma globulins, opsonins, and overall anti-body levels.
3. The “Endorphin” Theory states that acupuncture stimulates the secretions of endorphins in the body (specifically Enkaphalins).
4. The “Neurotransmitter” Theory states that certain neurotransmitter levels (such as Seratonin and Noradrenaline) are affected by acupuncture.
5. “Circulatory” Theory: this states that acupuncture has the effect of constricting or dilating blood vessels. This may be caused by the body’s release of Vasodilaters (such as Histamine), in response to acupuncture.
6. “Gate Control” Theory. According to this theory, the perception of pain is controlled by a part of the nervous system which regulates the impulse, which will later be interpreted as pain. This part of the nervous system is called the “Gate.” If the gate is hit with too many impulses, it becomes overwhelmed, and it closes. This prevents some of the impulses from getting through. The first gates to close would be the ones that are the smallest. The nerve fibers that carry the impulses of pain are rather small nerve fibers called “C” fibers. These are the gates that close during Acupuncture.

For more information or to book an appointment please click below.