Acupuncture
(Colorado Location Only)

Acupuncture is the act of inserting needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain, or to help treat disease or illness, and it supports general health and well-being. Acupuncture is based on an ancient Chinese belief that there is life energy in every living creature called Chi or Qi, and that this energy flows along specific pathways called meridians. Acupunture.com states that “as long as this energy flows freely throughout the meridians, health is maintained, but once the flow of energy is blocked, the system is disrupted and pain and illness occur.” “Acupuncture works to “re-program” and restore normal functions by stimulating certain points on the meridians in order to free up the Chi energy.”

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It is a practice within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which has developed over thousands of years with earliest documentation being 2696 BC. Wikipedia.com offers this definition of Traditional Chinese Medicine: “TCM says processes of the human body are interrelated and constantly interact with the environment. Therefore the theory looks for the signs of disharmony in the external and internal environment of a person in order to understand, treat and prevent illness and disease. TCM theory is based on a number of philosophical frameworks including the Theory of Yin-yang , the Five Elements , the human body Meridiansystem…, and others. Diagnosis and treatment are conducted with reference to these concepts.” Chinese medicine is based on a different paradigm than Western medical practices. As an example acupuncture treats the human body as a whole with several systems of functions that are associated with physical organs. As a treatment method acupuncture has the goal and objective to put balance back to those systems and re-harmonize the body.