You may be surprised to know much modern medicine owes its existence to ancient traditional healing methods. However, there is one ancient healing technique that no other modern Western conventional treatment can compare to in terms of usefulness and versatility: that is acupuncture, a gift from the Orient. This procedure is a therapeutic way to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself and bring it back into balance. Acupuncture has been practiced in the Far East for thousands of years and its origins emanated from the belief that the human body has the natural ability to keep itself in check against harmful external factors.
What modern science refers to as the immune system is an anatomical system highly respected by the ancient Chinese. They also thought that each person carries with him an energy field that makes up the very essence of life. When this field is healthy and robust, the body stayed healthy and robust, as well. Besides the Chinese, the Indians also believed in this principle, and they called it prana. The Chinese named this energy Chi.
In Chinese medicine, Chi is believed to freely circulate throughout the body via special energy vessels called Meridians. Negative influences such as anger, sadness, and stress can cause blockages to rise within these vessels. This parallels what occurs in the various pressure points of the nervous system, that over time, tend to develop blockages. The blockage in the meridians stagnates or slows down the smooth movement of Chi, weakening the immune system and making the body susceptible to disease. As its name indicates, acupuncture, is a method that inserts tiny needles into specific parts of the body to restore the smooth flow of Chi.
One may think that because acupuncture involves the sticking of needles into the body, it then is a painful procedure. The needles are really small, and don’t generate pain when inserted into the body. The needles are used to stimulate or activate the acupuncture points located just above the meridians. The points are selected based on the symptoms manifested by the patient. The needles help remove the blockages and enable the body to go back to a state of wellness and health.
When a person undergoes acupuncture, what he or she experiences is usually that of an extremely relaxing release of tension, the same effects that one gets from a deep tissue massage. It is also not uncommon to feel a sudden rush of latent emotional energy. While there are various theories floating around as to how acupuncture exactly restores balance to the body and enables the smooth flow of Chi, what is certain is that the body’s nervous system is extremely complicated, and acupuncture has the ability to activate specific groups of interconnected nerves associated with a condition in order to effect relief. Tension is relieved when involuntary muscle tension is loosened on certain internal organs, eventually enabling those organs to return to normal functionality.
Perhaps, acupuncture’s most remarkable aspect is that it rarely has any side effects. Most of us are accustomed to using conventional pharmaceutical drugs that come with several or even dozens of nasty side effects. Acupuncture in Bellingham is a natural type of treatment that does not require the use of these drugs and thus does not have any side effects whatsoever. It does not even require a recovery period after a procedure. The entry points are invisible due to the tiny size of the needles so there’s no worry about scars or needle points remaining on your body. Sometimes, the simplest and oldest solutions to a problem can be the most effective, even tens of hundreds of years later.