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Acupuncture, a method of piercing the body with special needles, is a very old treatment method that has been used for 5,000 years. Puncturing the body changes the body's energy system, which allows it to restore the balance disturbed by the disease. What are the indications for acupuncture and are such treatments effective? How do I find a good acupuncture specialist?

Acupuncturehas both supporters and opponents. However, the fact that it has survived to this day proves that the belief in its effectiveness has not been shaken despite the passage of time. Acupuncture involves piercing the body with needles specially designed for this purpose. Specific places called acupuncture points are punctured, which are located on the body along the course of the so-called meridians, or energy channels. You can also puncture non-American points, e.g. in the ears. Acupuncture is a regulatory and incentive method. The therapist adjusts it not only to the ailments diagnosed by the doctor, but also to the individual characteristics of the patient. Therefore, the number and places of punctures are variable and adjusted to the needs of a particular patient, which gives the possibility of influencing his condition in various ways.

One acupuncture treatment is not enough

Doctors point out that each of us has a different susceptibility to the effects of acupuncture. Although there are cases of improvement after a single puncture, most patients require from a few to a dozen or so punctures, or even several series. The series consists of 10-15 treatments lasting from several to 30 minutes - it all depends on the individual needs, patient tolerance, indications and the therapeutic effect.

Punctures are made with disposable, sterile acupuncture needles. They are specially polished, most often made of surgical steel (they are also silver and gold). They must have a certificate, which is a guarantee of sterility and safety - thanks to their special construction, the blades do not injure the skin and are highly resistant to fractures. Due to the special design and thickness of the needles, the treatments do not go beyond the pain caused by the sting, sometimes they are even painless. After the needle is inserted, the doctor can either leave it for a certain period of time at a specific point or manipulate it to achieve the desired results. During one procedure, several to several dozen needles are used.

Acupuncture: indications

Acupuncture treatment is worth considering when:

  • standard treatment is ineffective or the medications used show side effects;
  • the patient or his doctor sees the need to combine various methods, the cooperation of which can reduce the amount or doses of drugs and at the same time gives a chance for a better treatment effect;
  • after diagnosing the disease, the doctor will find functional disorders, so that do not yet require intensive pharmacological or surgical treatment.

Acupuncture brings the greatest benefits in the initial stage of the disease, when the disorders are functional, i.e. at the stage of no organic (physical) changes in organs. Some conditions can be cured completely, others can be significantly reduced. Sometimes the doctor chooses a combination treatment - he combines acupuncture with pharmacological treatment or physiotherapy. There are diseases for which acupuncture is an auxiliary method - it allows, for example, to reduce the doses of drugs.

The list of conditions that acupuncture treats very well is long. These include diseases of the respiratory tract (sinusitis, colds, asthma), eyes (e.g. conjunctivitis), cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, coronary artery disease). Significant effects are also achieved in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, constipation, headaches and migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, and painful shoulder syndrome. Acupuncture gives good results in gynecological and urological ailments. It also acts as an analgesic - sometimes it is used instead of anesthesia. However, it should be remembered that acupuncture is not a cure for all diseases, it is one of many forms of treatment, and just like the others (e.g. pharmacological), it sometimes simply turns out to be ineffective.

Doctor only with the recommendation of the Polish Society of Acupuncture

Some medical conditions exclude the possibility of using acupuncture. They include, among others acute and chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases, tuberculosis, high ESR, syndromes of cardiovascular, respiratory, liver and kidney failure, as well as the presence of aneurysms, arrhythmias, second and third degree atrioventricular blocks. The procedure must not be used when blood pressure exceeds 190/110 mm Hg. Menstruation, pregnancy and the lactation period are also excluded from treatment. Treatments must not be used when the body is exhausted or intoxicated with alcohol.

Acupuncture may be de alt with by a properly trained, registered doctor with a training diploma entitling to perform this type of medical activity. Specialistsit is best to search on the website of the Polish Society of Acupuncture. Choosing a doctor with a PTA recommendation guarantees the treatment safety standards, i.e. appropriate equipment of offices, high qualifications of doctors, sterility and disposable use of needles and auxiliary equipment.

Important

When choosing a doctor, you should pay attention to the course of the first visit - he should collect all information about our he alth and well-being, conduct a thorough examination. A trained acupuncturist has extensive knowledge of the location of puncture points and their properties, depth and direction of punctures depending on the thickness of the subcutaneous tissue, adjacent blood vessels, nerve trunks and internal organs (stomach, lungs, heart). Spots near these locations are identified as dangerous or require special attention.

Acupuncture is a recognized healing method

- Acupuncture still requires knowing and convincing "traditional" physicians about its possibilities. It is the result of over 50 centuries of observation and experience, as well as science based on mistakes and successes. Despite different philosophical assumptions, it is a recognized independent method of treatment and a method of supporting treatment in many countries around the world, e.g. in France, Germany, Russia and the USA - says Dr. Jacek Jakubowski, MD, a neurosurgeon specialist, certified acupuncturist, and a doctor recommended by Polish acupuncture society. - It must be remembered that acupuncture is not a form of treatment only in terms of rehabilitation, but a separate system of comprehensive understanding of disease disorders and their elimination in combination with the natural properties of the living body, including its cyclical activity of various organs and systems in connection with the outside world and its cycles . It is very extensive and difficult knowledge. It is very effective to combine various forms of influence on a sick organism through the use of unidirectional "East-West" methods, despite their different origins and understanding.

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Alternative medicine