Acupuncture - Asian Roots and a New World Treatment

By some estimates, acupuncture was first being practiced in ancient China almost 5000 years ago. Traditional Chinese medicine is something that is of interest to many people because of the centuries of practical use and because of the fact that most of the medicine is natural and not pharmaceutical. As the practice of acupuncture began to spread out through the Asian world, many things were added to it but the general roots of acupuncture itself can be traced back to China.

Over the past several decades, the practice of acupuncture has gained quite a bit of popularity in Western lands, specifically the United States. Many people have turned to acupuncture in order to help them with their overall health as well as with specific problems that they are experiencing. These problems range anywhere from headaches and overall pain to an inability to conceive a child. Is acupuncture actually able to help you with these individual treatments, especially when they are at a specific as these?

Several tests have been done on acupuncture since the popularity of the practice has increased in the United States. Although it is difficult to administer improper acupuncture in order to offer a control group to the testing process, some of the experiments that were done actually monitored blood flow throughout the patients. Whenever the individuals were under the acupuncture treatment, there was a noted blood flow increased to certain areas of the body, specifically those that were being targeted.

Although acupuncture is one of the least dangerous medical treatments that can be taken, there are still some problems that need to be considered. One of these is the use of prepackaged, one use needles in acupuncture treatment. Reusing the needles, even if they are sterilized is an invitation to infection and disease. The FDA is now monitoring the use of these needles and their production. This has led to a much safer practice overall and one that many people are enjoying without having to worry about infection or other related problems.

As we continue to learn more about the practice, more people will, no doubt, turn to acupuncture in an effort to take care of their physical problems. Although some new methods have been added, we will always look back to the roots of acupuncture for guidance. Although it may be changed to a certain extent because of modern treatment, it's still is something that was founded many centuries ago.