Frequently Asked Questions
As an alternative treatment, Acupuncture is something that most people are not familiar with, so here are some commonly asked questions that you may have.
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What is Acupuncture?
“Acupuncture” is a word made up of the Latin word “acus,” which means needle, and the English word “puncture.” The general term for acupuncture in Chinese is “Zhenjiu.” “Zhen” is the art of needling, while “jiu” means moxibustion, or heat treatment. In Chinese, both words are always together to mean acupuncture; however, when the term was translated into English, only the first half of the meaning was used. Thus, the term acupuncture is actually misleading because it fails to include moxibustion, the other half of the treatment involved. Acupuncture treatment involves the use of needles and/or moxibustion (the burning of a cone of dried artemisia vulgaries on acupoints) for the prevention and treatment of diseases. This method was discovered and developed by the Chinese, and it has a history that is four to five thousand years old. The application of these needles and/or moxa to certain points on the body can produce specific functional changes that can achieve particular therapeutic results. Most acupuncture treatments are rendered with needles and may require the use of both points known as acupoints. These acupoints have been identified along many pathways (known as meridians) inside and outside the body.
What can Acupuncture do?
What acupuncture can do is just too numerous to list. The World Health Organization Inner-Regional Study Seminar recommended acupuncture treatment for about forty kinds of diseases, including neural, muscular, and gastrointestinal disorders and disorders of the mouth, eye, and respiratory system. The Jao Gourui’s Cumulative Clinical Experiences on Acupuncture, published in China in 1979, lists three hundred kinds of diseases and medical problems that can be treated by acupuncture with different levels of success. Common medical problems that have the potential to be controlled/helped by acupuncture treatments include the following: arthritis, headache, backache, shoulder pain, knee pain, tennis elbow, sciatica, sports injuries, indigestion, sinus issues, stress, mild depression, insomnia, shingles, hypoglycemia, TMJ, water retention, impotence, female problems, certain addiction problems, and many nerve-related problems.
How does acupuncture work?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions, and there is no single answer that is universally accepted. According to traditional Chinese acupuncture theory, “Qi” (pronounced “chi”), is the key word that explains “how” and “why” acupuncture works. “Qi,” like energy, is invisible and immeasurable. The life energy is driven by Yin and Yang forces to every part of the body through channels called meridians. When there is a free flow of this life energy in the body, there is perfect health. However, if the interplay of Yin and Yang forces is interrupted or thrown off balance, then problems will occur as ailments find their way into the body. Acupuncture treatments have the capacity of returning the energy flow to the normal condition. They can thereby eliminate problems that become ailments.
In the last few decades, the Chinese have tried diligently to identify the principles by which acupuncture works. Many experiments have been conducted on rabbits, rats, dogs, and cats. Some experiments have revealed that acupuncture treatments affect brain functions in various ways, also capable of returning organ functions to normalcy. They can also affect the endocrine system and raise one’s immune system.
The acupuncture points are located along the peripheral nerve pathways, which have the greater electric conductivity. When acupuncture needles are inserted into the acupoints, a small electrical current is generated. This current travels along through these peripheral nerve pathways to the spinal cord and to the brain. The hormones called endorphin, as well as anti-inflammatory substances, can be produced. These block pain and muscle spasms, reduce inflammation, and enhance circulation. All these stimulate the body to heal itself.
Is acupuncture safe?
After many thousands of years of practice and countless treatments, accidents have been rare, considering the great number of treatments that have been administered. Most recorded acupuncture accidents took place in China and were related to carelessness and ignorance.
There are no known allergic reactions, habit formations, or other dangerous side effects. Sterile disposable needles and antiseptic techniques can eliminate the risk of infection. Our clinic uses only disposable needles. There should be no worry of contracting any infectious diseases at all.
Is acupuncture painful?
Virtually any needle inserted into the body will be felt, and a minimum level of pain will be experienced. The pain that a patient experiences in an acupuncture treatment is generally much less than what is feared or expected as the needles are very thin and they normally do not create the same level of pain as do other kinds of needles. We apply a very unusual and unconventional tapping technique of needle insertion, which allows the thin needles to be inserted into the skin in a fraction of a second. Therefore, the pain being felt is much less the traditional ways of needle insertion.
Treatments for quitting smoking and weight control require very shallow needle insertion and are barely inserted under the skin and, therefore, involve very little pain. Other treatments for conditions such as arthritis may require deeper insertion of needles. Whatever kind of treatment, only a prick, more or less like that of a Texas mosquito bite, is felt.
Can Acupuncture be used to quit smoking?
The use of acupuncture to stop smoking is truly our expertise. Since 1982, we have helped thousands of smokers to quit smoking forever. We also help those who chew tobacco. Through word of mouth, we have drawn smokers not just from Texas, but from every state in the USA and 40 foreign countries. Many of those who came to us for treatments from out-of-state were no only heavily addicted and also had tried many way to quit without success. They quit easily through us.
Our quit smoking treatments remove the craving for nicotine. After a successful treatment, not only will the craving for nicotine be eliminated, smoking right after the treatment will make the smoker sick. After a successful treatment, about 80% of the smokers will not expect to encounter withdrawal symptoms or gain weight. Average smokers can expect to quit smoking with just one or two treatments. But those more heavily addicted will probably need additional treatments.
Quitting smoking will not only save you money, it will save your lungs, your health, and even your life. So, we help tobacco addicts to turn their lives around to become VICTORS instead of VICTIMS of tobacco usage. In the USA alone, the tobacco usage results in 480,000 deaths yearly, and worldwide six million deaths according to CDC.
Can acupuncture be used for weight loss?
Acupuncture has been used for weight loss with a high degree of success. Those who respond well to acupuncture find that it was an easy way to lose weight. Some say it is just “marvelous”. Those who respond to the treatment immediately report the following changes:
- There is a clear reduction in appetite, making it easy for one to control what and how much he or she wants to eat instead of fighting a constant urge to eat.
- One who responds to the treatment will not encounter hunger pains as much as one on various diet programs. He or she will feel hungry at meal times, but much less so. One will quickly feel full or feel the same level of fullness an satisfaction, but with much less food.
- Those who respond to the treatment will experience a diminished craving for sweets and sometimes for other junk foods as well. After a successful treatment, sweets and junk foods become unappealing and unpalatable.
- There are those who respond to the weight control treatment who find themselves having more energy although they eat less. This is due to an additional treatment to increase metabolism for patients who have low metabolism
The use of acupuncture to lose weight is not for everyone. Around ten to fifteen percent of patients will not respond to the first treatment, and even those who do may need a few more treatments to receive the full effect.
The average acupuncture treatment is approximately 30 minutes in duration. The usual course of treatments entails 6 to 10 acupuncture sessions. Subsequently, one may need occasional treatment to maintain optimal benefits.