What is acupuncture?
A variety of diseases and disorders can benefit from the analgesic and therapeutic benefits of acupuncture.
Medical Acupuncture
According to Western medical theory, medical acupuncture refers to the application of acupuncture by specially trained medical professionals as a stand-alone or adjunct treatment. Patient eligibility is established according to the Guidelines of the World Health Organization.
Medical Acupuncture
The design of treatment protocols is the result of a combination of specific instructions based on many medical procedures and the experience of the treating physician. Each treatment regimen is individualized, as is designed according to the characteristics and severity of the disease/disorder present.
Extremely fine, single-use needles, which do not contain any drug substance, are placed in specific body areas, depending on the case, where they remain for approximately 15-20 minutes.
Primary effects of acupuncture
- Vaso-improving—controls blood flow and ensures that the organs receive proper nutrients
- Muscle relaxant—reduces the tonicity of muscle fibers
- Analgesic—produces specific neurotransmitters (endorphins, enkephalins, dynorphins, catecholamines)
- Anxiolytic and antidepressant—through its effect on the limbic system, the cerebral cortex, and its more general regulatory action due to the production of many neurotransmitters (endorphins, serotonin, GABA, etc.) related to mental functions
- Anti-inflammatory—produces anti-inflammatory substances
- Regulatory of the immune and the endocrine system (homeostasis)—acts on the neuroendocrine-immune axis
Acupuncture thereby ensures a significant analgesic and therapeutic outcome for many diseases and disorders through the aforementioned effects. It should be noted that the attending physician must carefully review each case and obtain a detailed history to determine which patients will benefit from acupuncture treatment.
