A Glimpse in one of the Oriental Therapy ~Acupuncture~
Written By Nasra Al Adawi
The Article only was Pubished in Al Mara'a Magazine - Oman
Chinese Medicine has existed for many years. Acupuncture goes back more than 2000 years and is just one aspect of oriental medicine which is offered for healing.
Acupuncture is a branch of Chinese Traditional Medicine; some gives it a title of being an ancient healing technique. Uttering the word acupuncture I for one, who never had experienced such treatment. It did send horror to me, the image of countless needless all over my body, did keep me on my toes. Getting first hand experience played the trick to subside the fear. It was a friend who took me as an alternative treatment for pain that I had in my chest, her coaxing to visit Chinese Doctor made me realize its therapeutic effect. This encounter reinforced me to clear out misconception about Acupuncture.
Dr. Zheng Xuan of Al Maqooq Polyclinic has been practicing Chinese medicine in Oman since five years and previously in china for 20 years. She explained the basics of Acupuncture which is theorized into a certain structure called Jing luo. Jing Luo is defined as main and collateral channels, regarded as a network of passages, through which vital energy circulates and along which acupuncture points are distributed. The body has an energy force running throughout and this force is known as Qi (roughly pronounced Chee) if the Qi is not flowing smoothly that is when the disharmony and imbalance will cause the appearance of illness. So the work of acupuncture will needle through the points to assist in rebalancing the flow of Qi and there it can give a healing touch to some organ problems.
Dr. Zheng explained that the Acupuncturists can use special types of Acupuncture needles, its fine hair needle. The great advantage of acupuncture is there is nearly no side effects, and the ability to treat several conditions or ailments simultaneously. Needles generally cause no bleeding on entry or removal. Today, needles are disposable, used once and discarded in accordance with medical biohazard regulations and guidelines.
One other method healing method which has the same basics of Jing Luo theory, however it does not use needles and it does not penetrate the skin called Scrapping. Dr. Zheng stated “Scraping is using a special plate made of bull horn in a similar massage technique practice that requires rubbing along the surface of the skin. The rubbing through the skin over the channels gives a relief for stiff neck or back ache”
Finally another term is Cupping was brought up “One can not disregard Cupping which involves creating a vacuum in a small, bamboo, glass or plastic cup which is then applied over more general areas such as the back, neck, limbs or abdomen. It is used to relieve underlying congestion of the tissues, promote circulation and relieving inflammation and pain, which can be used simultaneously with either acupuncture or scraping.” Dr Zheng explained.
Acupuncture Treatment:
• The initial treatment takes 1-½ hours. Follow up treatments take 1 hour.
• A treatment consists of first talking with the acupuncturist about your symptoms and health concerns. Lastly, hair thin sterile and disposable needles will be inserted in different locations based on the diagnosis.
• Upon insertion, you may feel a slight pinch, tingling or an electrical sensation. Once the pins are in place, most clients feel very relaxed or even fall asleep.
• Your acupuncturist will develop a treatment plan with you, which will depend on your symptoms. Usually clients receive treatment 1-2 times per week.
Tips Before/During your treatment:
• It is preferable that you do not receive treatment on a totally empty or full stomach.
• Please wear or bring loose comfortable clothes.
• All complementary medicine has a cumulative effect. It may take several treatments for you to notice any change. Be patient with the process- chances are your symptoms didn’t occur overnight, so they won’t be resolved overnight, either!
Perhaps the idea of oriental medicine is foreign to many; however Acupuncture is a therapy dated back to more than 23 centuries. There are numerous efficacies in using Acupuncture and the World Health Organization recognizes over 40 conditions that benefit from acupuncture. In one of the fact sheets of WHO it stated the following “Acupuncture has been proven effective in relieving postoperative pain, nausea during pregnancy, nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy, and dental pain with extremely low side effects. It can also alleviate anxiety, panic disorders and insomnia.” quoted in the website of WHO.
Written By Nasra Al Adawi
Dr. Zheng concluded “Though Acupuncture is unfamiliar to many in this part of the world. Acupuncture has served as healing touch for many condition and illnesses including stress. It is worth the try when western medicine fails to give the wanted healing. Acupuncture may perform miracle”
Many thanks to Jennifer and Seablackwithink for the photo in flickr.com. Please click the photo to see their other photo collections.
posted by iamnasra at 12:33 AM
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