Acupuncture is most commonly known for the insertion of needles into “acu-points” on the body, believed to stimulate the flow of energy [qi - pronounced “chee”] in order to correct imbalances in the body that lead to illness. Additionally, the practice of acupuncture encompasses the use of herbal medicine, dietary and lifestyle coaching, and other healing modalities. The regulated practice of acup
uncture is becoming widely used in hospitals, addiction treatment centers, chiropractic practices, pain treatment centers, fertility treatment centers and more. Acupuncture has proven to be safe and effective low-side effect treatment for a number of conditions, including pain, nausea, anxiety and depression. The traditional theories and philosophies of acupuncture's mechanisms developed long before our modern understanding of biology, but that doesn't necessarily mean that “qi” is not a real phenomenon. Contemporary medical knowledge is evolving, and new organs and functions are still being discovered. Research into the mechanisms of acupuncture's efficacy is ongoing, but we believe that it's mechanisms have to do with stimulating the neuro-endocrine system to reduce pain and inflammation. According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture has been shown through clinical trials to be effective treatment for:
Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Dysentery, acute bacillary
Dysmenorrhoea, primary
Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
Headache
Hypertension, essential
Hypotension, primary
Induction of labour
Knee pain
Leukopenia
Low back pain
Malposition of fetus, correction of
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
Periarthritis of shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis elbow
