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What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing developed over
thousands of years as part of the traditional medicine of
China, Japan and other Eastern countries.
The earliest records of acupuncture date back over 2,000
years and today there are over 3,000,000 practitioners worldwide.
Although the majority of these practice in the East, over
the last 50 years an increasing number of people in the
West have trained to become acupuncturists.
The
practice of acupuncture is thought to have begun with the
discovery that the stimulation of specific areas on the
skin affects the functioning of certain organs of the body.
It
has evolved into a system of medicine that restores and
maintains health by the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture
points just beneath the body surface. These points are in
very specific locations and lie on channels of energy. Moxibustion,
the warming of acupuncture points through the use of smouldering
herbs, is often used as a suppliment and the needles may
also be stimulated using a small electric current.
Here
in the West, acupuncture has been misleading publicised
as only being helpful in specific conditions, such as the
relief of pain. It is, in fact extremely effective in a
wide variety of conditions through its power to stimulate
the mind and body's own healing response.
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