PIERCING INTO ACUPUNTURE

Oh my GOD!!! This exclamation filled my mouth as I injured myself with the needle, I was in the process of amending my cloth with a piece of needle and thread when this occurred, then my mind flashed back to an article I read during my high school days about a catholic bishop in one of the countries in Africa that married a Chinese acupuncture therapist. The serotonin released due to the injury took me to a depth of critical thinking. If needle could cause pain relief, should I puncture my self again? How? Then, the need to see again the peculiarity of acupuncture. The history of acupuncture could be traced to the Eastern Physicians. Accounts showed that the main origin of acupuncture is in China but has been modernised in our contemporary time. 

 What is Acupuncture? 

It is an ancient Chinese medical technique or complementary therapy in which fine sterile needles are inserted into the skin at specific points of the body. The technique has to do with recognizing pathways (meridians) and flow of energy (called qi) within the body.

 

Why Acupuncture? 

Acupuncture is used to relieve the symptoms of many physical and psychological conditions, including chronic pain. 

 Any physiological basis for this? 

Studies have shown that may likely be operating via inhibition of pain transmission by simultaneous tactile sensory signals. This means that one touch sensation causes a blockage to the pain pathway. Going deeper, simulation of A Beta sensory fibers from peripheral tactile receptors can depress transmission of pain signals from the same body area. This presumably results from local lateral inhibition in the spinal cord. You can easily imagine why rubbing the skin near painful areas is often effective in relieving pain. It may also work by allowing the body to release its natural painkillers (endorphins and probably some enkephalins. This mechanism is called the brain opiate system. So, one can conclude that this mechanism mentioned here and simultaneous psychogenic excitation of the central analgesic system is responsible for the pain-relieving effect of acupuncture. 

CAN I DO THIS MYSELF? 

 You can do this if you can understand the meridians and the direction of energy flow (qi), which you have to learn from an acupuncture therapist. SEE YOU NEXT TIME. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH. YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR WEALTH. BYE