Acupuncture
The effects of acupuncture have been studied extensively by researchers and clinicians from all over the world. Acupuncture has been found to be beneficial in addressing various problems, including chronic pain, non-medication pain relief, mental stress, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Acupuncture, along with herbal medicine, are the main pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments. With the earliest surviving written works dating back to 2000 years, TCM is the oldest, continually practiced system of medicine in the world. TCM is a truly ‘holistic’ system in which no part can be considered in isolation from the whole.
Some of the world’s most respected universities and top-rated hospitals have opened integrative health clinics or integrated acupuncture into their existing facilities. Some examples include Harvard Medical School’s Osher Centre for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland’s Health Centre for students, Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins’s Medical Centre.
For practical purposes this means that the mind cannot be separated from the body, dysfunction in one system is connected with the rest, and humans are intimately connected with the environments in which they find themselves in. This gives rise to a worldview that is more interested in relationships than causes and is, consequently, more focused on health than disease. ‘Health focus’, rather than ‘disease focus’, has led to sophisticated insights into all aspects of human life ranging from diet and exercise to mental health.
In clinical practice, acupuncture is used to treat many conditions including pain, migraines, nausea, allergies, anxiety, GI disorders, as well as to promote overall wellness. In addition, acupuncture helps strengthen immunity and has been found to be powerful preventative medicine.
Help is here
If you are under the age of 24, or over the age of 55, and experiencing pain, mental health, or addiction issues, you might be qualified for Free Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments, including Acupuncture and Moxibustion treatment, Diet Therapy, and Baduanjin Qigong therapy.