About Acupuncture

Why stick needles in people?

Imagine there was a method of healing that caused very little discomfort, was applicable across a huge range of conditions, and had few if any side effects except for beneficial ones like improved circulation and better sleep? Well there is, it’s called acupuncture! It seems crazy on the surface, to poke sharp objects into our bodies to make ourselves feel better. But hear me out. The whole premise behind this is that our bodies are amazing self-healing machines, but sometimes they need a little nudge to ramp up their healing power. If you’ve ever had a cut on your skin, you’ve witnessed that self-healing miracle. There’s a whole cascade of actions: chemical, neurological, immunological, hematological, and circulatory, that happen when we are hurt or sick. We can create that ourselves in a super-safe and controlled way through acupuncture, and take advantage of our inner healing powers.

History and Theory

Thousands of years ago in Asia, they figured out and mapped the most efficient pathways of communication in the body and called them meridians. The most reactive points along these information super-highways are the acupuncture points. They categorized these points according to their actions, and combined them to create specific changes in the body. Using single-use sterile needles, we can manipulate that flow of communication/energy/qi/whatever you want to call it. When this flow gets stagnant, you feel it in the form of pain, discomfort, and suboptimal functioning. Many things can stagnate the flow, from tension, stress, trauma, unresolved emotions, environmental conditions, pathogens, injury, or lack of nourishment. It’s fascinating to read fMRI studies on acupuncture, showing how, for example, a point on the lower leg traditionally used for eye problems, lights up the area of the brain that controls the eyes when a needle is inserted.