Effective & Trusted Medications Guide

Alternative Medical Systems

Each Alternative Medicine category can, in turn, be divided in smaller subcategories. The Alternative Medical System category comprises traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and unconventional Western natural healing techniques.

Traditional Chinese Medicine – is an alternative medical system that was elaborated thousands of years ago by the people of China, who sacredly passed on their “how-to-cure” wisdom from one generation to another… till nowadays. The followers of Traditional Chinese Medicine believe that illness occurs whenever and wherever the proper flow of the life force “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) through the body meridians, or energy canals, is disrupted. Another important term-introduction is indispensable here in order to understand the logic of the described medical system… “Yin” and “Yang” - the 2 opposing forces which manifest in the body through heat and cold, deficiency and excess, external and internal extremities… What about them? Balance in between them is the key to restoring the unobstructed flow of Qi energy…

To achieve that balance various health-renewing practices are used: herbal remedies, meditation, acupuncture and massage.

Acupuncture has blended quite easily and quickly into the Western society and is today 1 of the most widely used alternative medicine techniques. Not all acupuncture practitioners are official MD’s - a medical degree is not obligatory in order to obtain a license to perform acupuncture… On the other hand, some of the official MD’s, pain specialists mostly, are as well trained and licensed acupuncturists.

Now, what IS Acupuncture? And How does it work?? Acupuncture has long been the essential compound of the Eastern Art of Healing, and even though it got acclimatized perfectly in the Western minds, there is still a little bit of ambiguity surrounding this ancient technique’s exact mechanisms of action. However, despite the lack of clarity on the subject, scientific studies have already provided enough indisputable evidence proving that Acupuncture indeed is effective in soothing aches and pains of different origin and treating maladies and ailments of different nature.

To put it rudely, the job of a professional acupuncturist consists of sticking very fine and thin acupuncture needles into the patient’s skin and the underlying tissues But (!) in very specific locations – called ‘acupoints’. The human body numbers approximately 2000 of those chaotically scattered all over.

In some cases, the acupuncture needle is warmed - prior to inserting or a very low voltage electrical current is transmitted through the needle and into the acupuncture point – this time, upon inserting. Such additional manipulations are designed to amplify the stimulation.

So what exactly is thought to happen once the acupuncture needle is inserted? According to the native Chinese interpretation, needle stimulation of acupoints relieves the blockage in the flow of energy along energy canals. ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ become perfectly balanced and restore the flow of Qi-force, which in turn, launches the body’s self-healing mechanisms.

Another version of acupuncture is Acupressure – a localized massage technique that consists of exerting pressure on acupoints and, therefore, provides the necessary stimulation.

The Western interpretation of acupuncture’s and acupressure’s mechanism of action is more of a scientific nature. The whole needle-sticking process is thought to stimulate the central nervous system that responds by releasing neurotransmitters and hormones – chemicals, responsible for dulling pain, boosting body’s own immune system and regulating body functions. For instance, on of the released chemicals - called serotonin – is a natural and native body painkiller.

Besides its effective pain-soothing properties, an acupuncture session may help overcome nausea and vomiting – unwelcome but common post-surgery visitors.

However, using acupuncture as a method to Lose Extra Weight or fight off deep-established addictions and habits such as Smoking – is not likely to be effective.

Acupuncture, as well as most CAM techniques and practices, causes only mild side effects, if any at all. If the procedure is performed correctly, in compliance with a fixed number of requirements and “Know-Hows” the practitioner is supposed to possess – no side effects whatsoever are to be expected. The only great risk you might be running is getting an infection. However, since most acupuncturists use disposable needles – an infection is only to occur if reusable needles were not properly sterilized or an obvious incident of medical malpractice took place. Some patients reported temporary worsening of their symptoms and fainting after an acupuncture session.

In 1998, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) admitted the beneficial pain-relieving effect of Acupuncture technique on adults suffering from post-surgical dental pain, as well as its anti-nauseous effect on chemotherapied patients. There was enough evidence to back-up this officially released statement.

The NIH also suggested that acupuncture might be a good alternative option for the treatment of chronic low back pain, migraine, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other conditions.