Acupuncture Charts – A Closer Look At The 14 Meridians

Standard acupuncture charts can be purchased that aid in identifying the name and locations of the meridian and acupoints on the front and back of the human body. An acupuncture chart will accurately show the location of the14 primary meridians as well as some of the extra points. Most acupuncture charts also show the names and locations of meridian and acupoints on lateral sides of the human body. Normally, they also have the international standard nomenclature and alphanumeric codes.

Some acupuncture charts come in sets that may be further divided into smaller sets that show the acupoints on the whole body surface (i.e. the back, neck, front, back and lateral sides of the human body, as well as the trunk of the body and other parts of the anatomy contained in different layers). There are also charts that show the upper limbs. Other acupuncture charts will show the entire human anatomy while others simply show regions of the human anatomy.

The acupuncture chart first became prevalent during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) when the Chinese first printed vernacular literature in great numbers. However, over the ensuing hundreds of years they have become increasingly well known. Acupuncture charts appeared in manuals dealing with Chinese medicine and the purpose was both to instruct and identify the proper location of the acupoints. In addition to the reasons just given acupuncture charts were maintained for Chinese medicine which included reflexology, moxibution, massage and a number of other specialties.

Illustrations Aid in Understanding

Acupuncture charts don’t explain how to needle the body but rather are diagrams that show the path of channels or meridian conduits as well as the location of acupuncture points. Because there are a great deal of acupuncture points, the acupuncture charts can only display a fraction of the channels and acupuncture points which are being discussed in the text of the chart. As a result, many acupuncture charts correspond with the specific body part, body function or disorder that needs to be treated.

A few common acupuncture charts are for the ear, foot, head and stomach. Other charts also describe healing methods of hot and cold diseases as well as other ailments.

The bottom line with acupuncture charts is that their primary function is to serve as a visual enhancement to the text and they are not intended to stand alone.

Tip – For more information on Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, check out the links below.

Ventura Acupuncture Vs Fibromyalgia

 

Ventura Acupuncture is another alternative treatment, like cupping therapy, which has been effectively used to provide some fibromyalgia patients relief from painful symptoms. However, unlike cupping therapy that has been adapted from traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is traditional Chinese medicine.

What is acupuncture? Acupuncture has existed for more than three thousand years and originated in China. It is an ancient Chinese practice that has been used throughout time for treating painful symptoms that occur from a variety of health ailments. Its purpose is to improve the overall functioning of the body by restoring balance to the body’s natural life force known as “chi”.

Chi flows through 14 meridians (unseen channels within the body), and each meridian is connected to various trigger points (known as acupoints) throughout the body. Thus, everything is interconnected, which means when specific acupoints related to the health problem are stimulated, this helps to bring balance to the body as a whole.

How is it performed? Acupuncture is a treatment that involves inserting short, solid hair-thin needles into specific acupoints on the body. There are numerous acupoints located all over the body. The ones that are focused on during a session are related to the health problem suffered by the patient.

Usually, before an acupuncture session begins, the acupuncture therapist with ask a fibromyalgia sufferer specific question related to the symptoms they experience, and if there are any other treatments they are currently using. The therapist will then check the pulse and the texture and color of the tongue in order to determine which acupoints should be targeted. A therapist may target as many as 15 acupoints in one session.

Once the acupoints are decided, the needles will then be inserted. The insertion of the needles is not and should not be a painful experience. Many people describe it as a slight pinch or a dull ache or tingling feeling in the affected area. Needles are usually left in the body for 20 minutes.

After the session, some people find they are totally relaxed, their limbs feel heavy, or that they are energized. However, bear in mind that everyone responds differently to treatment.

Are there any side effects? Some individuals experience side effects such as fainting, fatigue, headache and nausea, but this is extremely rare and usually only occurs in those suffering from complications, and when treatment is performed by someone who is not qualified. However, it’s a good idea to talk to you doctor about acupuncture treatment before perusing it.

How does acupuncture benefit fibromyalgia? Medical studies have found that acupuncture is quite successful at relieving fibromyalgia symptoms for up to one month after treatment. The symptoms it effectively relieves include:

  Decreases and relieves pain
  Reduces feelings of depression
Increases energy and reduces fatigue

It is believed that acupuncture needles help to increase blood flow in fibromyalgia sufferers, and the increase in circulation helps decrease the number of sensitive points and improve overall muscle health. It is also believed by Western medicine that the reason acupuncture is so successful at reducing and relieving pain is because it increases the level of endorphins (natural painkillers in the body) and may block pain impulses to the brain.

How can you find an acupuncture therapist? Ask your…

Health care provider
Physical therapist
Neurologist

Chiropractor

Fibromyalgia support group

You can also do an online search using the keywords “acupuncture” or “acupuncture therapy” and your city name.

Make sure you receive acupuncture therapy form a qualified and experienced acupuncture therapist. If a therapist does not have a license find out their educational background and how long they have been practicing acupuncture. It also doesn’t hurt to ask for referrals. Remember, acupuncture can be painful, cause bleeding, organ puncture, and lead to side effects if not performed correctly.

 

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Ventura Acupuncture for Eczema

 

Ventura Acupunture for eczema is a natural healing method that comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It involves inserting thin metal needles at specific anatomical (meridian) positions in the human body.

Acupuncture for eczema helps by restoring balance to the body by removing energy imbalances and blockages in the body with the insertion of needles at appropriate meridian points. In this manner, eczema is not merely treated for its symptoms but also addressed at the root cause.

During the acupuncture procedure, the needles are manipulated by bare hands or electric signals. The needles are free from any medicine or any injecting purpose, and its role is just to simulate the acupuncture points. If done by an expert acupuncturist, there should not be any pain or sensation at all. The patient may not even realize that the needle has indeed been inserted into the skin.

Acupuncture for eczema is usually done after a detailed diagnosis of the patient. The acupuncturist must first study the existing eczema condition of the patient, his or her body imbalances, age and medical history. Different people may require varying extent of acupuncture treatment, and hence the treatment duration varies from one individual to other.

Eczema is a type of skin disorder that appears on the outer layer of the skin. This medical condition is characterized by inflammation, redness, blisters in severe cases, crusts, scales or scabs on the skin surface. There is usually a burning or itching sensation, and most often, the skin is particularly dry around the affected area.

The causes of eczema can be allergic and the condition is sizably influenced by the weather conditions and diet. Conventionally, in western countries, eczema is treated via topical applications (both steroid and non-steroid) and with the use of oral drugs. These methods are mainly centered on achieving symptomatic relief from itching and pain.

In contrast, TCM principles go far deeper. According to TCM, for a body to be in a good state of health, it should be in a state of perfect balance, both physically and emotionally, with respect to the outside world. Ailments and illnesses occur when this balance is disturbed. The factors that affect the balance in the usual case are climatic changes, internal aspects such as emotional stress, and diet and work.

TCM considers eczema to be caused by the imbalance of three factors namely wind, heat and dampness. Eczema is merely a symptom of an underlying health problem; likely the malfunction of vital organs in the body. For this, TCM uses a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicines and skin preparations. Still, most acupuncturists, TCM practitioners or chiropractors would probably advise that eczema is not easy to treat or cure, since it is an ailment that originates from an internal malfunction.

From the perspective of the patient, thus, it is important that one seeks treatment from an expert acupuncturist and not any amateur. Get recommendations or referrals and do check for proper credentials. Acupuncture for eczema can bring about relief and is definitely worth considering as a form of natural treatment and restoring balance to the body.

 

Ventura Acupunture What Should I Do If I Have A Migraine

 

Ventura acupuncture says headaches affect Nearly 90% of Men and 95% of Women. The disability resulting from headache (for example, work absenteeism or reduced functioning at work, school or home) is the greatest dollars-and-cents cost associated with this illness. Headaches are of different variations, one of them is migraine.

A migraine may remain at a “static” level that is tolerable, as long as the patient is not physically active, such as sitting at the office, or reading at home. In a migraine, throbbing pain is felt on one side of the head. Usually migraine is preceded by a sensation such as salty taste in the tongue, aura, nausea, flashing lights and blind spots. A migraine is a splitting headache that just seems to set in apparently as a result of no reason at all.

Migraines are diagnosed based on symptoms. No procedure can determine the diagnosis. A migraine attack often involves more than just a headache. A few people also experience a migraine preceding an attack.

What causes migraines is still somewhat of a mystery. Medical researchers believed that migraine headache was because of chemical changes in the blood vessels supplying the brain and its coverings. Changes in temperature, humidity and barometric pressure are all potential migraine triggers. A change in altitude is also a possible trigger.

Staying up late or drinking too much coffee will bring on a migraine every time. Some even go to say that a migraine maybe triggered by the end of a stressful situation. Migraine triggers are numerous and varied and occur in combinations peculiar to a individual. For some migraine sufferers, though not all, pregnancy can bring about a change in the frequency and intensity of migraines.

Being aware of what brings on your headaches is key to finding drug free relief. Crucial to the appropriate treatment of headache is the proper diagnosis of its type, and migraine headache is a particularly common form of recurring headache. One of the most important aspects of headache treatment is your own control over your headache, and control starts with identifying your own triggers, and learning to avoid them. There are many possible triggers for migraines and they differ from one migraine sufferer to another.

There are a lot of treatment options presently available for your migraine headaches. Some of you will get spectacular results with one or more of these treatments and others will not. Try putting a cold damp cloth on your forehead or temple (on the side that is painful), or use a frozen bag of peas wrapped in a small towel, as cold compresses can sometimes help with the pain. So if the attack is coming, try to get to a dark quiet room, since noise and bright lights seem to aggravate the symptoms of migraine.

There are various alternative headache treatments such as using aromatherapy, acupunture, biofeedback, homeopathy, chiropractic  and herbal remedy such as feverfew. While we do not have scientific proof, it is possible to speculate on why these dietary changes may work. Some patients report that their headaches get better with elimination of wheat, sugar, or milk products from their diets. Other treatments include taking a hot bath or shower and/or using heat or ice on your neck or head.

Some people I know put fingertip pressure on one of your temporal arteries, which are arteries you can feel on either side of your head near your temples. Before you consider any treatment for your headaches, it is important that you make sure your diagnosis is indeed migraine Sometimes a separate visit to your medical practitioner to discuss your headaches specifically may be necessary.

If you are a headache sufferer, you know that certain situations or things you do or foods you eat, will cause an attack to start. Please remember that a good doctor is your best ally when it comes to diagnosing, preventing and treating migraines. Besides regular check ups with your family medical practitioner eating the right foods and getting enough sleep are important to your peace of mind.

Now whatever is the cause or whatever be the nature of the headache, most headaches are preventable. Before treating your health problems with drugs it is wise to seek the advice of a health professional. The only good thing with regards to a migraine is that it usually stops as people get older.

 

Accupuncture and Fertility

If you are looking for a natural and affordable treatment to help with fertility problems, consider acupuncture. The treatments have been practiced for thousands of years and have shown very positive results. Some patients have claimed miraculous results.  The procedure is painless and easy and is said to fix the problem in 3 or 4 sessions. Ventura chiropractor, Dr. Jamie Phillips, highly recommends alternative means twords treating medical conditions. She says, “accupuncture is a great route, especially for patients who can’t afford expensive proceures or for patients leary about taking certain drugs.” Infertility can be a very upsetting and frustrating personal obstacle that can be cured. It is not the end of the world like it may seem. Starting a family is a dream that should come true for everyone, let accupucnture help make it happen for you. For more imformation on the procedure itself contact your local accupuncture practicioner or chiropractic clinic.

Ventura Acupuncture Offers Alternative Relief to Back Pain Sufferers

Ventura Acupuncture specialists testify that acupuncture can cure your ailing back pain. Are you tired of long drawn out treatments for your nagging back pain? Back pain is not the end of the world and can be corrected. Acupuncture is growing more and more in popularity as a cost and time effective approach to healing back pain. Ventura chiropractic specialists also endorse the alternative approach. Used widely in the east for healing nearly any condition, acupuncture has been unaccepted within the western medial world until recently. This may be due because it is said that 80 percent of all people in the west will experience back pain. With such high percentages of people being plagued by back pain, you can easily see that people are willing to look outside the box to seek treatment from a condition that can make even the simplest actions during the day a nightmare. Any Ventura chiropractor or Ventura acupuncturist will agree that acupuncture can help heal the following conditions; low back pain, upper back pain, left back pain, right back pain, back hip pain, back and hip pain, sciatic back pain, kidney pain, etc. The list is long and disheartening. Its said that Americans spend $50 billion dollars a year correcting their plaguing back pain problems. So, take it on yourself to think outside the box and be active about changing your life and getting healthy. Acupuncture may be the relief you have been looking for.