Various Acupuncture Points In The Human Body example essay topic

The traditional Chinese treatment of acupuncture is an affective alternative medicine that has been around for thousands of years. Acupuncture is one of the most researched and documented alternative medicines around (Acupuncture). Although a vast majority of people believe Western medicine is the only cure to sickness, many people benefit from acupuncture everyday. Most people disregard the ancient art all together without giving it a chance because are scared of the needles it involves. Also, since no accurate scientific explanation of how and why it works has been found, people shy away from it. The healing powers of the body are taken to a whole different level with this alternative medicine.

Ancient roots of acupuncture can be traced back to archeology five thousand years ago. Its written existence has been around for about two thousand five hundred years (Dr. Michael). Acupuncture was discovered during the Chinese Empire in the Yuan dynasty which lasted from 1264 to 1368 CE (Felt). Statues of acupuncture were made during this time period and served as the base of date for the oriental medicine. Traditional acupuncture uses sterilized needles which are inserted into various acupuncture points in the human body. The needles can be anywhere from a half an inch to several inches long and produce stimulation inside the body (See).

Sometimes, the needles are stirred around once inserted to speed up stimulation. In modern acupuncture, electrical stimulators are used to increase the amount of stimulation (Dr. Michael). The acupuncture points stimulated depends on a patient's individual needs and treatment expectations. This oriental medicine is one of the safest ways to be cured of a sickness. It has no major side effects. One might experience a little pain or dizziness during the first few seconds of the first treatment, but this is rare.

These side effects only occur if a patient is nervous or scared to be treated (RH). Acupuncture can cure everything Western medicine can, from diseases to back pain, without the dangerous, sometimes life-threatening side effects. Many patients turn to acupuncture as a last resort and find closure in its effectiveness. "My daughter and son have never taken a pill in their lives; acupuncture has cured all of their [health] problems" (Dr. Michael. ).

Acupuncture is individual based. It is a very "complicated art" (Dr. Dorel). The amount of treatments needed and their success depends on each individual patient. Other factors, such as a patient's lifestyle and eating habits, tie into the outcome of the treatments. Sometimes, acupuncturists have to advise their patients to change their diet or certain habits in their life in order for the treatments to work (Dr. Dorel).

If the patient follows the advice given to them and goes through the necessary amount of treatments, the outcome will always be positive with acupuncture. Many people shy away from trying acupuncture because they don't know how it works, there's no visible proof. Even though acupuncture doesn't require taking a pill or being injected with medicine, it does have positive effects on many people. The human body has approximately 800 to 1000 acupuncture points (Dr. Michael).

These points were found through ancient Chinese medicine theories and are where the needles are inserted into the body. Each point has a specific purpose and name. These points lie on one of the body's fourteen meridians which run from head to toe and connect to the body's organ systems (Dr. Dorel). The body is a matrix of electromagnetic energy which flows through the fourteen meridians (Acupuncture). Acupuncture works through these organ systems and meridians. Ten of the fourteen meridians are connected to the five natural elements; earth, metal, fire, wood, and water.

Each element controls and creates the other elements, just like the internal organs and meridians. Each natural element relates to one young meridian and one een (old) meridian. The natural element of fire connects to the small intestine (young meridian) and the heart (een meridian). The stomach is the young meridian while the spleen is the een meridian of Earth. Metal is connected to the large intestine, which is the young meridian, and the lungs, which are the een meridian. The natural element of water is connected to the bladder (young meridian) and the kidneys (een meridian).

Finally, wood is connected to the young meridian gull bladder and the een meridian liver. This meridian accounts for ten of the fourteen. The other four aren't connected to the natural elements and are the ren, du, pericardium, and the triple hitter. Another factor that used in acupuncture is heat. Needles and heat go together and stimulate the body together. Moxibustion is a form of heat (RH).

In modern acupuncture, an infrared light is used to form heat during a treatment. Heat is needed in order for the treatment to work properly. After a patient is treated, the acupuncturist may give the patient natural herbs or black beads. These two tactics are used to help speed up the recovery of a patient. The black beads are placed on specific acupuncture points by the acupuncturist depending on the organ pathway chosen for treatment. Chinese medicine has over 300 natural herbs, each with a specific purpose, smell, taste, and name.

Acupuncturists put different herbs together depending on the organ pathway chosen for treatment (Dr. Michael). The patient is required to place the herbs in boiling water and drink them everyday; many patients don't drink the tea because the taste isn't pleasant. Some herbs can be dangerous if abused, like A fedra, which has been abused by modern medicine. The herb may become illegal in the U.S. because people abused it, but it has been used properly in Chinese medicine for thousands of years (Dr. Dorel). Herbal tea is a very affective sub-treatment of acupuncture. Western medicine has been working hard for many years to scientifically explain how acupuncture works, but the accurate explanation is yet to be found.

One theory involves the stimulation of nervous system which is split into sub- theories, the gate theory and sea theory (Dr. Dorel). Another is that acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins which are pain relieving chemicals. The pituitary gland theory states that the stimulation of the pituitary gland stimulates the adrenal gland to release anti- inflammatory chemicals (See). Thermodynamics is the only way to explain acupuncture scientifically, but it is still not accurate (Dr. Dorel).

The reason acupuncture has no accurate scientific explanation of how it works is because it is based on ancient Chinese medicine theory and tradition (Dr. Michael). The Chinese believe the body has a flow of life energy. This is also known as Chi. When on is healthy, the energy flows smoothly and evenly, but when this balance is disturbed, one feels pain or ill (RH). The insertions of needles into the meridians stimulate the flow of energy through the pathways when it is unbalanced. The effects of balancing the energy are: an improved immune system, improved blood pressure, improved blood circulation, better rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, improved secretion of gastric acid, improved production of red and white blood cells, and an improved release of hormones (Acupuncture).

Anyone can see that acupuncture is indeed a "complicated art", but it can work wonders. Although many people think that Western medicine is the best cure, many acupuncturists beg to differ. Western medicine puts chemicals and other things that the body doesn't need into the body. The effects of these medicines are, in many cases, life threatening. The body is a magnificent thing that can work wonders on its own when treated properly. Today's technology has lead people to forget the body's natural capabilities.

Many scientists try to alter the body or create the ideal human which is impossible. Nothing can be perfect and the creation of the human body is a sacred, complicated thing which can only be done by nature and God. In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein gets ahead of himself and takes on a task bigger than life itself, creating life. He forgets how sacred the creation of the body is and tries to create an ideal human for fame. Of course, the outcome was horrific and Victor paid for his actions for the rest of his life. Acupuncture doesn't allow people to get ahead of themselves like Victor did; the way of thinking brought about is that of a natural sense.

The techniques of the alternative medicine allow people to remember how magnificent and sacred the human body is and realize that it cannot be created through lab work or perfected through medicine. With Western medicine, patients can take up to four or five medications before finding one that suits their needs and most can have many life threatening side effects. With acupuncture, it is one procedure and one attempt to heal a patient with NO major side effects. Acupuncture is a unique ancient art that is backed by thousands of years of Chinese thought and research and has been proven affective for many people and their illnesses..