Acupuncture ??
The existence of acupuncture in medicine and body care is indeed no doubt. Although some people are still afraid to try it, acupuncture, or also known as needling, has become a popular alternative trend.
According to traditional medicine experts, Hembing, the age of acupuncture treatment is thousands of years old. In the book An Outline of Chinese Acupunture mentioned if needling has existed since the stone age. The oldest method of acupuncture is called bian, which is defined as the use of stones to cure illness. The principle of treatment is to stimulate certain points in the human body.
Acupuncture has several versions, namely acupressure (massaged acupuncture points), moxibustion (by burning or moxa), and aquapuncture (using water injections).
After using stones, the Chinese created fine needles from bamboo or bone. After that, a needle made of gold and silver. Now, the needles used for acupuncture are made of thin stainless steel. According to Hembing, this therapeutic work through several stages. For the initial stage, usually carried out the disposal of toxins in the body.
However, how does acupuncture work at the cellular level, is definitely unknown. No wonder this treatment is often considered to be antithetical. But finally, the researchers found the answer.
Researchers from the University of Michigan prove that the acupuncture technique that has long been used by Chinese people is to affect the brain's long-term ability to manage pain. This research was conducted using a brain monitor.
A study that appears in the Journal of Neurolmage also mentions similar things to research conducted at the University of Michigan. In the journal it was mentioned that the techniques used by acupuncture so far turned out to be by increasing the ability of Mu-Opoid Receptors (MOR) in the brain and reducing pain signals, which are specific to the cingulate glands, insula, caudate, thalamus, and amygdala.
Apparently, experts see the same facts in the use of drugs in the medical world, namely painkillers, such as morphine, cocaine, and others also work by binding to the receptor (MOR) in the brain and spine. So, the conclusion is that acupuncture techniques do include alternative treatments that do not use drugs, but it turns out, has a way of working that is almost similar to medical treatment. The results of this study should be able to open the eyes and hearts of health practitioners not to underestimate treatment with acupuncture techniques.
What about the needle used? Is it the same size as a syringe used by doctors to inject patients? Basically, the needles used in acupuncture are very varied. For the facial areas, a needle of 0.25 mm is used. Meanwhile, in the back and leg area used a larger needle. The average stabbing time is around 15 minutes.
Actually, acupuncture adheres to a philosophy that is very different from conventional medicine. According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, everyone has qi, which is the energy or life force that flows in the body. Body health depends on a smooth and balanced flow of qi through a series of channels (meridian grooves) that are under the skin.
Meanwhile, pain is caused by too much, too little, or obstruction of the qi. By sticking fine needles into specific points on the meridians, it is believed to stimulate the body's healing response and help restore its natural balance.
The meridian grooves are numerous. However, the main one is 14 lines with 361 acupuncture points called regular channels. There are also 8 other meridian pathways called extra channels. In these two channels there are many points that are associated with important organs of humans.
In general, acupuncture is believed to provide many health benefits for the body, including:
1. Reducing pain due to several diseases, such as chronic headaches and pain that usually occurs after surgery on the head, neck cancer, pain during menstruation, pain in pregnancy, pain in menopausal symptoms, also reduce the effects of chemotherapy such as nausea.
This is based on a study conducted by scientists from Duke University headed by Dr. Tong Joo Gan. The study involved nearly 4,000 patients with migraine disorders, tension in the head, and various other forms of headache disorders.
In that study, it was proven that the use of acupuncture to reduce chronic headaches was 62 percent more effective compared to drugs that were only able to reduce headaches by up to 45 percent.
2. Acupuncture techniques can increase fertility, both in men and women.
Based on a poll of 1,366 women in the US, Germany, Australia and Denmark, acupuncture turned out to help mix sperm and eggs into embryos in the uterus.
In this study, some women received in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy, partly a combination of IVF and acupuncture the day before embryo transfer. When the results of this small study were put together, the researchers found that obstacles to pregnancy 65 percent disappeared in women undergoing acupuncture.
However, experts caution, the results of the study could not be fully concluded that acupuncture really can help fertility. The IVF technique helps pregnancy around 35 percent, plus acupuncture, the chance of pregnancy being 45 percent.
3. Can smooth the skin
Acupuncture is not only used in the world of medicine, but also for beauty which is usually termed aesthetic medical acupuncture. Medically, the pricking of the acupuncture point will stimulate the nervous system, causing local reactions (increased blood circulation, increased collagen production, etc.), reactions through the peripheral and central nerve pathways and the release of neurohumoral substances.
Some of the treatments or treatments that can be done by aesthetic medical acupuncture include tightening the skin, minimizing or reducing lines or wrinkles on the face, removing eye bags and dark circles under the eyes, brightening the skin, shrinking pores, increasing blood flow to the skin, and many more.
4. Slimming the body
Doctor of Acupuncture from Rhode Island, United States in his book entitled The Mechanism of Weight Loosing by Acupuncture says that losing weight does not merely burn fat in the body, but also regulates diet.
Hunger and thirst that we feel basically comes from the brain, precisely in the thalamus (the largest part of the uppermost brainstem that forms the side wall of the third ventricle) and the hypothalamus (the base of the uppermost brainstem, under the thalamus). Now, by jabbing an acupuncture needle into the meridian groove connected to the thalamus, the desire to eat can be controlled.
So, how? Are you getting interested in acupuncture techniques? It doesn't hurt if you want to try it.
