Overland Park Acupuncture is a painless ancient Chinese treatment that has treated many kinds of illnesses and disorders for many centuries. When done appropriately acupuncture has treated health issues such as pain, fatigue and migraines.
Qi (chi) – Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes some type of energy flows through the body in energy pathways called meridians. TCM calls this energy Qi or chi. Chi and meridians are both invisible to the human eye and thus difficult for Western science to study.
Meridians – As explained above, meridians are the pathways where chi travels. They are situated almost on the surface of the skin at different parts of the body. Inside the body, they form a vast network of invisible vessels and are accessible in certain sites with needles. They are connected to sites called acupuncture points where the needles are inserted.
Blockage – TCM believes that blockages in the meridians cause the stagnation of chi flow, which in turn results in pain and other health conditions.
Acupuncture – A TCM treatment several thousands of years old involving non-hollow, hair thin and sterile needles inserted at certain sites in the body. The needles are thought to remove the blockages in the meridians, restore the normal flow of chi and thus remove pain, heal the condition and restore the body to good health.
This concept of TCM is entirely different in concept from the paradigm of Western science medicine who believes in the empirical proof of existence and the Western scientific method. Western science still is unable to explain how acupuncture exactly works. One theory explains that the needles stimulate neurochemicals in the brain and regulate neural activity.
Some concepts not fully understood in their own time such as how penicillin and aspirin worked signify that in due time, acupuncture will be fully understood and will be applied in a wider range of use than it is used today. The important thing is that it has worked for several millennia and still works today.
It is hard to think of a treatment that does not have any side effects. Surgery can cause complications or infection while drugs can cause side effects or allergies. Acupuncture entails minimal risk of light bleeding, bruising, dizziness and very rare occasions of infection. To avoid these, it is best to consult with an acupuncturist who is licensed and highly experienced.
Before the treatment process itself, the acupuncturist will pore over the patient’s medical history and physically examine him/her. Acupuncture points on the patient’s body will be selected and treated by needles. Typically, patients receive around 10 to 20 treatments lasting from 30 to 90 minutes each. The reaction to the treatment varies from patient to patient. Some may feel sleepy during and after treatment while some need to do something for the added energy they feel during and after treatment.