Acupuncture is one modality within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Modern research shows that stimulating acupuncture points causes an increase in the production of endorphins and, simultaneously, activates the immune and endocrine systems.
How acupuncture works
There are numerous theories about how acupuncture works. Some follow:
- acupuncture stimulates the release of pain relieving endorphins
- acupuncture influences the release of neurotransmitters, substances transmitting nerve impulses to the brain
- acupuncture influences the autonomic nervous system
- acupuncture stimulates circulation
- acupuncture influences the electrical currents of the body
Early Chinese physicians discovered an energy network traversing just below the surface of the skin. It facilitates communication from the skin to the internal organs, and comprises over 1,000 “Acupoints” on the body. The energy works in harmony with the body’s circulatory, nervous, muscular, digestive and genitourinary systems, and when its course is blocked or weakened, dysfunction occurs. Stimulation of one or a combination of key “Acupoints” on the body may restore harmony to the affected area.
One historian remarked, “More people have benefited from Acupuncture over the course of 50 centuries than the combined total of all other healing sciences, both ancient and modern.”
