Acupuncture
Acupuncture in North London - Finchley, Hendon and Barnet
Acupuncture
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture has been used in China as an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine for more than 3,000 years.
Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles into specific points of the body to re-balance the flow of the body's energy. The energy called "Qi" flows through channels of energy called "meridians". There are 12 meridians that form a network that carries the energy to each organ. Qi consists of Yin and Yang and these two opposite, but complementary, forces need to be in balance otherwise disease or illness occurs in the body. The flow of Qi can be disturbed by many factors, physical, mental and emotional: anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief, poor nutrition, weather conditions, hereditary factors, infections, poisons and trauma. By inserting fine needles into the meridians, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body's own healing response and help to restore its natural balance.
What happens during treatment?
The initial assessment carried out by the practitioner focuses on the patient's medical history and detecting the body's imbalance. When the acupuncture needles are actually inserted, they are usually left in place for between 15 and 30 minutes and often the acupuncturist will try and manipulate the needles so that you will feel a dull bursting or numb sensation around their site of insertion. This sensation is called "de qi" or "obtaining energy". Other methods of stimulating the acupuncture point, include moxibustion (application of heat), and placing a cup over the acupuncture point (cupping).
Benefits of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is primarily used to ease symptoms of pain and discomfort. Studies suggest that there are a number of conditions which acupuncture can help to treat, including post-operative pain, migraines, and nausea. Other than pain relief, acupuncture is useful in treating a very wide range of ailments.
Acupuncture is a very safe form of treatment, which has few side effects, or complications. Combining acupuncture and Tui Na can be quite effective in treatment.
Some of the conditions that respond to treatment with acupuncture are:
- Muscular skeletal disorders
- Arthritis Backache sciatica and chronic pain
- Headaches, Migraine.
- Low immune system related disorders
- Anxiety - stress and depression
- Pregnancy related - Nausea, constipation and inducing labour
- Gynaecological problems - PMS, infertility, menopause
- Skin Conditions - Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, eczema
- Respiratory conditions - hayfever, asthma and allergies.
- Toothache and TMJ problems
- Addictions - Alcoholism and smoking
Pregnancy
It is safe for you to have acupuncture while you are pregnant, but you must let your acupuncturist know before you begin your treatment. This is because some acupuncture points cannot be used during pregnancy. Acupuncture may be effective in treating a number of conditions during pregnancy, such as morning sickness and constipation, and has also been used by some women to help induce labour.