History of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a Chinese health science which is used to treat pain and illness in the body.The science is between 5,000 and 7,000 years old, and use spread throughout ancient Egypt, the Middle East, the Roman Empire and later into Western Europe.
Early Chinese physicians discovered an energy network traversing just below the surface of the skin which communicates from the exterior to the internal organs and structures by over 1,000 “Acupoints” on the body. This energy works in harmony with the body’s circulatory, nervous, muscular, digestive, genitourinary and all other systems of the body. If vital energy becomes blocked or weakened, it affects body systems. Stimulation of key “Acupoints” on the body restores harmony to affected areas.
Meridian Acu Therapy
Meridian Therapy is the name employed by those who practice the same principles of Acupuncture without the use of a sterile needle. Since Acupuncture is a principle, not a technique, there are many ways to stimulate an Acupoint other than a needle. Many practitioners use electronic stimulation, laser beam or pressure massage to treat an Acupoint. The principle of Acupuncture is the same.
How Does It Work?
Often in standard medical care, after a “full examination”, a patient is told, “There is nothing wrong with you”. To find the cause of the problem, many physicians are referring their patients for a Meridian Evaluation and Acupuncture Therapy. The human body’s energy flows within twelve meridians which are normally balanced. If disruption of energy flow exists, it alters the entire system; producing pain and other symptoms.
The goal is to restore normalcy to the body’s energy balance by utilizing a combination of Acupoints located on the twelve meridians. This is accomplished by a variety of means. Using a sterile needle is just one.
Is the Treatment Painful?
Sterile needles have their place in clinical practice. Many physicians certified in Acupuncture and licensed Acupuncturists are employing electronic and laser stimulation to the Acupoint with equal effectiveness as the needle. Use of a tapping “needle” called Teishein® is an example of non-invasive therapy. The Teishein does not pierce the skin. It produces a mild sensation by tapping on the skin.
Dr. Vradenburg uses disposable needles as well as non-invasive therapies such as acupressure, cold laser, Teishen instruments, acupatches, and electro-stimulation to treat meridian points.
What Conditions Are Accepted?
Acupuncture textbooks list hundreds of conditions which respond well to Acupuncture Therapies. The World Health Organization, working in close harmony with the International Acupuncture training center of the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has indicated Acupuncture effective in the following partial list;
Acute and chronic pain relief, migraine, tension cluster and sinus headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, bladder dysfunction, bed wetting, cervical (neck) pain, and mid-back pain, low shoulder, tennis elbow, post-operative pain relief, gastric problems, asthma, allergies, skin conditions, hemorrhoids, abnormal blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety, neurologic syndrome, eye problems.