Acupuncture was first recorded using sharpened bone and stone in place of needles in 6000 BCE. As the foundational modality of Eastern Traditional Medicine, Acupuncture provides the knowledge base for all other Eastern methods of assessing and treating health conditions and gives practitioners information on other modalities such as acupressure, moxibustion, and cupping.
Acupuncture uses the concept of meridians, which function as the body’s energetic circulatory system. The main concept is that energy can be redirected, freed, or otherwise corrected using carefully placed needles. This in turn causes vital energy, ‘Qi,’ or ‘Chi,’ to interact with your body in a more cohesive way, leading to better health and more optimally functioning energy and optimal overall health.
The Western interpretations and understandings of acupuncture tend to focus on the nervous system and how nervous system signals may be blocked or stimulated by acupuncture needles. Explained in this way, the process can increase blood flow to areas of concern, alter the pain signals the brain receives, and cause the release of natural painkilling compounds. It is worth noting that this difference in understanding is largely semantic as the nervous system is an electrochemical system that transmits information as electrical pulses throughout the body. The modern Western and traditional Eastern understanding of the meridian systems overall have a very strong resemblance at their foundation and work toward the same goal of healing.
