The first section of the Nei Ching Su Wen involves a talk between the Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti, and his Minister, Ch’i Pai. This discussion lays down the philosophical origin of traditional Chinese medicine, and makes the Nei Ching Su Wen more of a dissertation on health and disease rather than a textbook of medicine. Early Greek texts on medicine are mainly of interest to the medical historian to a certain extent than the practicing physician. In this case for example, Hippocrates does make many outstanding philosophical and sensible comments about disease and the doctor-patient relationship, but for the most part these texts are recipe books for an assortment of ill-defined diseases. The Nei Ching Su Wen is undying and deals almost wholly with philosophical concepts, many of which seem to be as imperative today as they were 2,000 years ago.

One of the greatest living experts on Chinese scientific philosophy, Professor Joseph Needham, describes some aspects of the early Chinese system of science as mediaeval and retrogressive. He feels that many of these concepts have unclear explanations that develop the obvious potential of Chinese medicine. There is unquestionably an element of truth in this but there is still a great deal of practical and priceless information within the conventional Chinese approach to medicine.

The Western doctor observes the truth first and uses the present physiological theories to explain them. Chinese medicine is based on a much wider world view, which is described in the Nei Ching Su Wen, and these ideas are woven into an absolute and unbroken system based on a philosophy dissimilar from that of modern Western medicine. The concepts of Yin and Yang, and the number five, are two of the more significant ideas that pervade much of traditional Chinese scientific thought.

Yin and Yang are contradictory aspects of the material world. Like night and day they are mutually dependent, and the subsistence of one end of the range presupposes the continuation of the other aspect; i.e. Yin is needed for Yang to exist, and vice versa. At first the idea of Yin and Yang seems very basic; it is not, it describes the primary fluctuating balance of nature. A contemporary idea that pre-supposes the existence of Yin and Yang is ecology, one of the main values of which is that the forces of the environment must be in a fluctuating balance.

In ancient China, acupuncture was used to treat lesions and injuries. This was known to be the specialty of acupuncturists. Acupuncture in China is considered to be a valuable skill since it treats people with their inabilities. A lot of scientists believe that Chinese acupuncture works in many ways that are unknown to scientific study. Most researches show that this kind of therapy constantly triggers the release a considerable amount of endorphins. It is probably the best way to improve blood circulation and blood pressure. It also aims to trigger the body’s self-repairing system whenever the immune system lowers.

An ancient art that was in existence over 3000 years ago, Chinese acupuncture is a traditional form of medicine. The philosophy of its birth is connected to an important discovery in Chinese history. About 8,000 years ago, a Taoist named Fu Hsi formulated two symbols that portray a broken and unbroken line. The lines were symbolic to the reception and creation and the interaction of the two lies represents life. This theory is called Yin and Yang and this is the backbone of all Chinese medical remedies and that includes Chinese acupuncture.

In China, many excavations have unraveled many objects from the old and new Stone Age. The new Stone Age artifacts consisted of knives made of stones used for medical procedures. The carved medical instruments unraveled stones that had been carved into hair thin needles. These were called Bien. Ancient acupuncture gained popularity during the reign of the Yellow Emperor by the name of Huang Di (2697-2597). Evidences like hieroglyphic show that Chinese acupuncture not only utilized the stone Bien but also developed the needles as well. In 421-221 BC, this is the era known as the Warren States and during this period, four gold needles and five silver needles were discovered from an ancient tomb. The period also boasts the book known as the Nan Jing that attributes to five extra meridians found in the body.

The Systemic Classics of Acupuncture and Moxibustion written by Huag Fi in 260-265 AD is the most renowned text of Chinese acupuncture. After that era, ancient acupuncture experienced a crucial transition. In 618-907 AD, the Tan dynasty and many other texts became a formal branch of medicinal education in China. It was during this time that many acupuncture schools appeared and it has then become an essential part in the imperial medical bureau. With the enlightenment of the Ming dynasty (1568-1644),

Chinese acupuncture was led to a vast advancement.

Basing on the term itself, acupuncture is the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific acupuncture points on the body that are located on meridians or channels. When needled, these points can stimulate proper body functions. So how can acupuncture treat infertility?

Combined with herbal medicine, frequent acupuncture treatment has been used for hundreds of years to treat some causes of infertility. Acupuncture is beneficial to some individuals due to its effect on the follicular and ovarian function. Plus, it has been shown that acupuncture can increase the blood flow to the endometrium thus facilitating in the thickening of its lining.

Like physical therapy, acupuncture is a process oriented method of medical treatment. For best results, it would do better to have more treatments than less. Patients undergoing acupuncture treatment are usually treated for duration of three to four months before in vitro fertilization or IVF, insemination, or donor-egg transfer. This period of treatment is considered to have a therapeutic effect.

Like most treatment, it is also important to consider when to stop getting acupuncture treatment. It is typically during the first trimester of the pregnancy that miscarriages occur. For that reason, acupuncture treatment will only last through the twelfth week to help prevent miscarriage.

Pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant shouldn’t be anxious about acupuncture treatment. After an egg transfer or insemination, an acupuncturist should not place needles in the abdomino-pelvis area. If the patient is pregnant or suspected to be pregnant, there are six acupuncture points that are contraindicated. These points include the stomach 12, gallbladder 21, spleen 6, bladder 67, bladder 60, large intestine 4 and any points on the lower abdominal area.

Since acupuncture is technique that involves the insertion needles, it is normal for many individuals to be anxious about some of the risks. Like all forms of treatments, fertility acupuncture has minimal risks. If incorrect acupuncture points are used when a woman is pregnant, the risk of miscarriage may develop. This is the main reason that those who are thinking of including acupuncture into their treatment plan, should only seek an acupuncture provider who specializes in treating fertility disorders. Acupuncture can be beneficial to anyone regardless of what medications they are taking or the kind of health disorder they have.

For fertility patients, acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorders even spasmed tubes. Acupuncture works to de-spasm the spasmed tubes but blocked tubes on the other hand will not work with acupuncture. To treat repeated pregnancy loss, elevated follicle stimulating hormone, luteal phase defect, unexplained idiopathic infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome and many other disorders, acupuncture is often combined with herbs.

Acupuncture is a licensed profession in most states. There are many websites that can be found online to show licensed and Board certified acupuncturist in a certain area.

The patients were subjected to pain in a form of a small prick inside or outside their upper lip. The fMRI showed that all 12 patients reacted to the pain stimulus since there was an increased blood flow to their parietal areas and brain stems.

At the same time with being pricked with the filament, seven patients received the traditional acupuncture at the Hegu point, an acupoint that is located between the forefinger and thumb. The rest of the five patients received electroacupunture Hegu point with the use of low-level electrical current that travels through the needle.

During 30 minutes of the treatment process, each patient were asked to rate the pain level on a scale of one to 10 every five minutes while the fMRI was continually monitoring their brains. Four out of the seven patients who received traditional acupuncture showed considerably decreased levels of brain activity associated with pain in their fMRI.

The response was even greater with those patients who were receiving electroacupunture. Five patients who were receiving electrical stimulation showed a decrease in their pain-related brain activity. Plus these patients showed a much higher tolerance to pain than those patients receiving the traditional acupuncture treatment.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Huey-Jen Lee said, “We could see the brain activity associated with the pain subsiding even as the patients reported they were experiencing relief.” He also added that the increase tolerance to pain was not due to placebo effect since the MRI since showed different brain activity. “The brain actually shows differences and that is convincing,” Lee said.

The results were favorable to those who have been looking for proof that acupuncture really works. But as a precaution, it is wise not to jump to conclusions since the study is still premature and they are still gathering more data to support this.

Together with his team, Dr. Lee is foreseeing to conduct more studies in the future to determine if acupuncture can help relieve chronic pain in cancer patients. Although a lot of researchers are reasonable enough to think that acupuncture may not be the solution to chronic pain but at least the study can eventually help in reducing the dosage of certain pain medications and NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This way, drug side-effects can be lessened or even avoided.

Dr. Lee concluded, “It is important for Western medicine to recognize that these acupoints really mean something in regard to pain relief. So many people with pain, whether from cancer, headache or a chronic, unexplained condition, rely on medications such as morphine, which can become addicting. Acupuncture as no side effects and other studies have shown the pain relief it provides can last for months.”

To most women the most devastating and trying times in their lives would be experiencing a miscarriage. This is a very difficult thing to accept especially to those who are trying to conceive. It is believed that miscarriages often result due to the genetic abnormalities developed early in the fetus but this is often regarded as invalid. Acupuncture is trying to address this problem with the combination of Chinese medicine. It basically concentrates its focus on preconception health. With acupuncture treatment, it can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs in both parents to bathe the egg and the sperm in nutrient-rich blood while they are maturing. Quality embryos and healthy implantation will result from quality eggs, endometrial lining and sperm.

If a woman has low progesterone level and this is the reason why she cannot conceive, acupuncture can help strengthen the quality of the follicles to better produce progesterone after ovulation. Aside from that acupuncture also addresses the concerns with thin endometrial lining and very light period by increasing blood flow to the uterus and balancing a woman’s hormonal levels. A woman undergoing treatment or is trying to conceive can include acupuncture in their treatment plan after consulting with a medical professional like an obstetrician. A typical plan would be to treat once a week during the first three weeks of a cycle. The first day of treatment is usually the first day of the period. If pregnancy occurs, treatment will take place once a week or every other week during the first trimester.

The physiologic factors are not the only factors that cause miscarriage. Stress can also be a key factor. With the help of acupuncture, stress will also be addressed. After all it does deal with a person’s holistic health. Once you visit an acupuncture clinic, your acupuncturist will go into more details with regards to your particular needs.

Another problem that women of the reproductive are facing right now is pain during a menstrual period. Acupuncture has been known for so long to help reduce symptoms of pain in the body. Acupuncture treatments can increase the endorphin levels in the blood and can counter-act the pain-producing factors. As mentioned earlier, acupuncture can be used to balance the hormones. It works effectively on the endocrine system to regulate the hormones in the body to produce more progesterone and estrogen in complimentary ranges.

Acupuncture clinic can be the right place to seek treatment for miscarriages and pain during a period. Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine which has been around for thousands of years and this can be the right solution to these forms of physiologic problems.

History of the Meridians

Five thousand years ago, ancient Chinese discovered energy in the body that can’t be felt, found or seen with the senses. Any disturbances in these forms of energy could manifest abnormal patterns of cellular growth and organization. Along with this energy that travels inside the human body, the Chinese also discovered and named twelve acupuncture meridians. Acupuncture meridians can be compared to copper traces on an electric circuit board foe they run throughout the body. Each acupuncture meridian was named by the life function connected with them. Majority of Western scientists believed that acupuncture meridians are like imaginary structures since there are no published records or anatomical studies of the meridians in conventional medical journals to validate their existence. This is the reason why western scientists believe that only nerve pathways comprise the true means of acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture meridians are the pathways of the negative and positive energy power that carries the communication of various parts of the human body.

In fact, meridians connect everything in the body like the tissues, organs, teeth, etc. The meridians are believed to pass an invisible energy known as Ch’i. This energy enters the body through specific acupuncture points and they would flow to deep organ structures thus bringing nourishment to all parts of the body. To distinguish acupuncture points from the surrounding skin, they have exceptional electrical characteristics. It is along the meridians that these acupuncture points exist. In character, these points are electro-magnetic and they consist of small palpable spots which can be located by the hand, muscle testing and micro-electrical voltage meters usually when they are not functioning properly.

To optimize human performance, the 500 acupuncture points were mapped and used for centuries and these points are the connection between the negative and positive meridians and functions of the body including the muscles and internal organs. These points are useful both in treating and diagnosing disease states.

The Ch’i that is known to be magnetically subtle is not electrical in nature but they are able to produce secondary electrical fields. This allows changes at the physical cellular level through the initiation of secondary electrical fields. These electrical fields are translated into DC-current interactions from the higher energy meridians into the physical body. They affect the primary bio-electronic processes that maintain and provide unity with the physical-cellular structure. For example, when the flow of energy to a specific organ is disrupted, patterns of cellular disturbance occur. By feeling the pulses, imbalances in the meridians can be detected.

Headache due to migraine and sinus are the next common headache found in children and adults. These headaches aggravate when you eat certain type of food and when they are included in your diet. Foods containing caffeine, processed meat etc may cause headaches for the person having migraine. Hence you require avoiding such food.

Usually people experiencing headache would have a painkiller to get instant relief these methods are not safe and may lead to various side effects hence it is always better that you go for natural methods to cure headache. The natural methods like herbal treatment and home remedies will provide you much safer relief from headache hence it is ideal that you adopt such measures while you experience headache next time.

Acupuncture is a branch of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine.) This approach of medicine begins with the belief that our body is a balance of two opposite yet inseparable forces – the yin and yang.
It is also believed that this applies to the entire universe. Yin represents forces such as the cold, the slow and other passive forces, while Yang represents heat, excitement and other active forces. It is a combination of these opposite forces and the balance between them that actually determines our mental and physical well-being.

Another pinnacle of TCM is the concept of energy referred to as ‘chi’ (pronounced chee). Chi is the life force of the entire universe. In the body, it is the ‘chi’ that creates and animates life. We are all born with a certain amount of energy or chi and we continually acquire it throughout our lives through the food we eat, the air we breath, the water we drink and the sunlight we take. Chi moves through our bodies in channels called meridians. The quantity and quality of this chi in our body depends on the state of our mental and physical balance or well being as represented by yin and yang.

As a matter of fact, imbalances of the yin and yang in our bodies block the channels through which chi travels resulting in disease and ailments.