Acupuncture is a popular style of treatment that can be used to help a variety of health problems. Did you know there are 2 very different styles of acupuncture?
Well firstly what is acupuncture……
The actual practice of acupuncture includes placing thin needles into the skin either on certain points of a meridian (energy channels) or on specific tender points into the muscle.
However the reasoning behind how it is done depends on whether the practitioner is trained in Western Medical Acupuncture or Traditional Acupuncture.
Traditional Acupuncture (TA) is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM is a system of healthcare that has evolved over thousands of years to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. TCM believes that the body's vital energy, called qi (pronounced chi), flows along specific channels or meridians.
If the qi is balanced then the person has spiritual, emotional, and physical health. But when the qi isn't in balance, disease may occur. Qi can be blocked, causing unbalance between the yin and yang. This refers to two opposite but connected principles in Chinese philosophy TCM uses many approaches to create harmony between yin and yang and restore correct flow of energy through the meridians. One of these approaches is acupuncture.
Acupuncturists believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points. They are linked through the various meridians. The use of acupuncture on certain points within the meridians is believed to improve the flow of blocked or stagnant qi. Acupuncture can unblock these meridians. This restores movement of qi and improves health.
Medical Acupuncture, or sometimes referred to as Western Medical Acupuncture (WMA), or even Dry Needling uses anatomy and physiology and is based very much on relieving pain and muscle tensions. Medical acupuncture is used mainly to stimulate the nervous system which has been shown to modulate / reduce pain. Practitioners, such as GP’s, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and Sports Massage Therapists use western medical concepts to diagnose and treat patients.
Both forms of acupuncture will take a detailed history. Practitioners of WMA will take a case history based on principles of anatomy and physiological function, and their examination will be of a western medical type with specific orthopaedic or special testing with the aim of choosing local points to reduce pain. This style of acupuncture is often carried out as an adjunct along with other western approaches such as a range of manual therapies, strapping etc.
With Traditional Acupuncture (TA), your practitioner will take a very detailed health history and not necessarily just related to your symptoms and will ask about emotions and life stresses. TA practitioners will also feel the pulses, look at the tongue, assess voice tone etc and thereafter build a treatment plan created to your unique constitution. TA practitioners may also use adjuncts such as cupping to improve stagnation, moxibustion (burning of dried Chinese mugwort herb for a range of conditions), electroacupuncture, or even forms of Chinese massage such as Guasha / Tuina.
TA works by stimulating the body’s healing responses or immune system with the painless insertion of fine needles on acupuncture meridian points. The needles used in acupuncture are so fine that most people don’t often feel them being inserted. Many people feel deeply relaxed during the treatment. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This releases chemicals such as endorphins into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities. They aim to restore the flow of vital energy supporting the body's innate ability to heal itself and to regulate and maintain optimal levels of wellbeing.
TA can have an effect on a number of conditions, many of which are particularly chronic, such as:
Stress and anxiety
Chronic knee pain
Lower back and neck pain
Tiredness and sleep issues
Sinusitis and hayfever
Digestive Disorders such as IBS
Women’s Health including menopause
Headaches, migraines and tinnitus
WMA is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, including myofascial trigger point pain and is constantly evolving as a modality based on research. Current guidelines suggest it is highly effective in the treatment of:
Neck pain or chronic neck pain
Chronic low back pain
Tension type headaches and migraines
Temporomandibular (TMD/TMJ) pain
Temporary adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis knee pain
All the acupuncture governing bodies actively encourage the principles of evidence-based medicine.
If you would like to know more please feel free to contact the clinic or British acupuncture Council - https://acupuncture.org.uk/
British Medical Acupuncture Society https://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/
Acupuncture is a popular style of treatment that can be used to help a variety of health problems. Did you know there are 2 very different styles of acupuncture?
Well firstly what is acupuncture……
The actual practice of acupuncture includes placing thin needles into the skin either on certain points of a meridian (energy channels) or on specific tender points into the muscle.
However the reasoning behind how it is done depends on whether the practitioner is trained in Western Medical Acupuncture or Traditional Acupuncture.
Traditional Acupuncture (TA) is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM is a system of healthcare that has evolved over thousands of years to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. TCM believes that the body's vital energy, called qi (pronounced chi), flows along specific channels or meridians. If the qi is balanced then the person has spiritual, emotional, and physical health. But when the qi isn't in balance, disease may occur. Qi can be blocked, causing unbalance between the yin and yang. This refers to two opposite but connected principles in Chinese philosophy TCM uses many approaches to create harmony between yin and yang and restore correct flow of energy through the meridians. One of these approaches is acupuncture. Acupuncturists believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points. They are linked through the various meridians. The use of acupuncture on certain points within the meridians is believed to improve the flow of blocked or stagnant qi. Acupuncture can unblock these meridians. This restores movement of qi and improves health.
Medical Acupuncture, or sometimes referred to as Western Medical Acupuncture (WMA), or even Dry Needling uses anatomy and physiology and is based very much on relieving pain and muscle tensions. Medical acupuncture is used mainly to stimulate the nervous system which has been shown to modulate / reduce pain. Practitioners, such as GP’s, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and Sports Massage Therapists use western medical concepts to diagnose and treat patients.
Both forms of acupuncture will take a detailed history. Practitioners of WMA will take a case history based on principles of anatomy and physiological function, and their examination will be of a western medical type with specific orthopaedic or special testing with the aim of choosing local points to reduce pain. This style of acupuncture is often carried out as an adjunct along with other western approaches such as a range of manual therapies, strapping etc.
With Traditional Acupuncture (TA), your practitioner will take a very detailed health history and not necessarily just related to your symptoms and will ask about emotions and life stresses. TA practitioners will also feel the pulses, look at the tongue, assess voice tone etc and thereafter build a treatment plan created to your unique constitution. TA practitioners may also use adjuncts such as cupping to improve stagnation, moxibustion (burning of dried Chinese mugwort herb for a range of conditions), electroacupuncture, or even forms of Chinese massage such as Guasha / Tuina.
TA works by stimulating the body’s healing responses or immune system with the painless insertion of fine needles on acupuncture meridian points. The needles used in acupuncture are so fine that most people don’t often feel them being inserted. Many people feel deeply relaxed during the treatment. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This releases chemicals such as endorphins into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities. They aim to restore the flow of vital energy supporting the body's innate ability to heal itself and to regulate and maintain optimal levels of wellbeing.
TA can have an effect on a number of conditions, many of which are particularly chronic, such as:
Stress and anxiety
Chronic knee pain
Lower back and neck pain
Tiredness and sleep issues
Sinusitis and hayfever
Digestive Disorders such as IBS
Women’s Health including menopause
Headaches, migraines and tinnitus
WMA is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, including myofascial trigger point pain and is constantly evolving as a modality based on research. Current guidelines suggest it is highly effective in the treatment of:
Neck pain or chronic neck pain
Chronic low back pain
Tension type headaches and migraines
Temporomandibular (TMD/TMJ) pain
Temporary adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis knee pain
All the acupuncture governing bodies actively encourage the principles of evidence-based medicine.
If you would like to know more please feel free to contact the clinic or British acupuncture Council - https://acupuncture.org.uk/
British Medical Acupuncture Society https://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/
Acupuncture is a popular style of treatment that can be used to help a variety of health problems. Did you know there are 2 very different styles of acupuncture?
Well firstly what is acupuncture……
The actual practice of acupuncture includes placing thin needles into the skin either on certain points of a meridian (energy channels) or on specific tender points into the muscle.
However the reasoning behind how it is done depends on whether the practitioner is trained in Western Medical Acupuncture or Traditional Acupuncture.
Traditional Acupuncture (TA) is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM is a system of healthcare that has evolved over thousands of years to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. TCM believes that the body's vital energy, called qi (pronounced chi), flows along specific channels or meridians. If the qi is balanced then the person has spiritual, emotional, and physical health. But when the qi isn't in balance, disease may occur. Qi can be blocked, causing unbalance between the yin and yang. This refers to two opposite but connected principles in Chinese philosophy TCM uses many approaches to create harmony between yin and yang and restore correct flow of energy through the meridians. One of these approaches is acupuncture. Acupuncturists believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points. They are linked through the various meridians. The use of acupuncture on certain points within the meridians is believed to improve the flow of blocked or stagnant qi. Acupuncture can unblock these meridians. This restores movement of qi and improves health.
Medical Acupuncture, or sometimes referred to as Western Medical Acupuncture (WMA), or even Dry Needling uses anatomy and physiology and is based very much on relieving pain and muscle tensions. Medical acupuncture is used mainly to stimulate the nervous system which has been shown to modulate / reduce pain. Practitioners, such as GP’s, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and Sports Massage Therapists use western medical concepts to diagnose and treat patients.
Both forms of acupuncture will take a detailed history. Practitioners of WMA will take a case history based on principles of anatomy and physiological function, and their examination will be of a western medical type with specific orthopaedic or special testing with the aim of choosing local points to reduce pain. This style of acupuncture is often carried out as an adjunct along with other western approaches such as a range of manual therapies, strapping etc.
With Traditional Acupuncture (TA), your practitioner will take a very detailed health history and not necessarily just related to your symptoms and will ask about emotions and life stresses. TA practitioners will also feel the pulses, look at the tongue, assess voice tone etc and thereafter build a treatment plan created to your unique constitution. TA practitioners may also use adjuncts such as cupping to improve stagnation, moxibustion (burning of dried Chinese mugwort herb for a range of conditions), electroacupuncture, or even forms of Chinese massage such as Guasha / Tuina.
TA works by stimulating the body’s healing responses or immune system with the painless insertion of fine needles on acupuncture meridian points. The needles used in acupuncture are so fine that most people don’t often feel them being inserted. Many people feel deeply relaxed during the treatment. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This releases chemicals such as endorphins into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities. They aim to restore the flow of vital energy supporting the body's innate ability to heal itself and to regulate and maintain optimal levels of wellbeing.
TA can have an effect on a number of conditions, many of which are particularly chronic, such as:
Stress and anxiety
Chronic knee pain
Lower back and neck pain
Tiredness and sleep issues
Sinusitis and hayfever
Digestive Disorders such as IBS
Women’s Health including menopause
Headaches, migraines and tinnitus
WMA is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, including myofascial trigger point pain and is constantly evolving as a modality based on research. Current guidelines suggest it is highly effective in the treatment of:
Neck pain or chronic neck pain
Chronic low back pain
Tension type headaches and migraines
Temporomandibular (TMD/TMJ) pain
Temporary adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis knee pain
All the acupuncture governing bodies actively encourage the principles of evidence-based medicine.
If you would like to know more please feel free to contact the clinic or British acupuncture Council - https://acupuncture.org.uk/
British Medical Acupuncture Society https://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/
Blog by Jane Morris. If you'd like to book an appointment today, please contact us.
Comments