Acupuncture Cleveland is a very popular form of alternative treatment where ultra thin needles are stuck into specific points on the body for the removal of pain or the treatment of disorders. The very first evidence of acupuncture usage was around 1,500 B.C. It was first recorded being used in 200 BC during the Han dynasty in China. Being a cure for various kinds of conditions, acupuncture has thus flourished in China since then. This versatile therapy became popular in North America and Europe during the 1970’s.
Western medical acupuncture or just medical acupuncture and traditional Chinese acupuncture are the two most practiced forms acupuncture today. Traditional or classical Chinese acupuncture follows the precepts of naturalism and Taoist philosophy and it is one of the oldest continuous form of treatment in the world today. Traditional Chinese acupuncture bases its practice on the belief that the body has two separate but complementary energy forces called yin and yang. Yin and yang is more or less similar to the positive and negative forces of electricity. For yin and yang, electricity is in the form of Qi or chi or vital energy. Chi is the energy that enables life in a person and makes that person grow, be strong and reproduce. The harmonic balance of yin and yang means good health in a person and when they imbalance each other pain and illness result. The inserting of needles into certain acupuncture points or acupoints on the body enables the harmony and balance of energy to be restored and any blockage that might have caused chi stagnation are removed providing needed energy (chi) to the rest of the body once more.
The classical belief of chi, acupoints and meridians are not applied in medical acupuncture. This type of acupuncture draws its knowledge on the Western classical science of biochemistry, physiology and anatomy to understand the mechanics of acupuncture. Followers of medical acupuncture consider that the right application of needles activates the central nervous system causing it to release endorphins and other chemicals (enkephalins, etc.). This effectively removes pain and strengthens the immune system.
Medical acupuncture utilizes fewer needles and has a shorter needle use in its treatment session than classical Chinese acupuncture.
Considering that acupuncture is difficult to study using Western scientific method, many skeptics abound as to its claimed efficacies. Whatever their biases, acupuncture is a proven treatment for numerous disorders for countless patients. Because of acupuncture, many people have managed to deal with their chronic pain without resorting to medications, many have resolved their infertility woes thanks to acupuncture and many have stopped smoking because of acupuncture. Owing to overwhelming evidence, the National Institute of Health in the United States in 1997 published a study that shows acupuncture’s benefits in treating various kinds of chronic pain including other disorders.