Acupuncture 101
Source: Oprah
http://www.oprah.com/health/Acupuncture-101
Dr. Oz introduced audiences to acupuncturist Daniel Hsu on The Oprah Winfrey Show . Now he’s invited Daniel to educate Oprah Radio listeners about the healing powers of acupuncture.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine practice that involves sticking needles into different parts of the skin. This releases endorphins and serotonin in your brain, which are natural chemicals that regulate pleasure and mood. Daniel says acupuncture has been shown to treat many common ailments and chronic diseases more effectively than modern Western medicine practices.
Daniel outlines a few of the health benefits of acupuncture:
Provides relief for chronic pains such as lower back pain and migraines
Daniel says acupuncture not only causes the body to release natural pain killers, it can also change a patient’s perception of the pain, thereby relieving their symptoms. “If two people have the same X-rays and the same MRIs and one person can feel absolutely no pain and the other person can feel a lot of pain and it’s just unexplainable, what acupuncture does is just alter that perception—and it’s quite effective,” he says.
Relieves stress and anxiety
Daniel says acupuncture treatments geared toward different parts of the body can relieve different types of stress. For example, he says that if a patient complains of palpitations and is upset and unhappy, he will use acupuncture to trigger points that help the heart. If a patient is irritable, stressed-out and quick to lose their temper, he will treat trigger points that help the liver. “Every organ has corresponding signs and symptoms,” he says.
May help women dealing with infertility
Daniel says acupuncture can be used in conjunction with medical care to help women dealing with infertility, depending on the presumed causes. He says he will often administer acupuncture to women before and after they undergo in vitro fertilization because it decreases uterine contractions (which can cause the IVF to fail), and it can also increase blood flow to the uterus, which may help the embryo take.
Improves overall health and wellness
Rather than going for a massage or a trip to the spa, Daniel says he has many patients who use acupuncture to improve their overall well-being and as a preventative health measure. “It boosts your immune system and it also just gives you a sense of wellness, and it helps people in a stressful time, with work and with family, to continue with their week and actually enjoy life better,” he says.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Acupuncture-101#ixzz2pC7q1kjb
