Guide Easy For Health

Before we begin a discussion about the benefits of acupuncture, let’s talk about the origins of acupuncture. It was first used in China over 2000 years ago, and is one of the oldest medical procedures in the world. It is a family of procedures that stimulates the anatomy of the body and helps to balance the energy flow throughout the body. It is this kind of acupuncture that is practiced in the United Sates today, through the use of tiny, metallic needles placed in affected areas and manipulated by hand or by electrical stimulation.

Acupuncture is the basic foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine and is based on the belief that there are two opposing and inseparable forces within our body. They are known as the Yin and Yang of the entire person. The Yin is representative of the cold, slow, or passive principle, and yang represents the hot, excited or active principle. A healthy state is achieved by maintaining a balance state of the yin and yang. This is done through vital pathways or meridians that allow for the flow of qi, or vital energy. The vital energy flow occurs along pathways known as meridians. These meridians connect over 2,000 acupuncture points along the body.

There are 12 main meridians, and 8 secondary meridians. Although traditional western medicine does not completely understand how acupuncture works, the proof that it does work has been shown in several studies conducted by western medical facilities.

Now, let’s move to the question of does it work? According to the National Institute of Health, the answer would be yes. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in many areas of health care. Areas such as postoperative nausea, chemotherapy side effects, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, headache, menstrual cramps, addiction, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma, just to name a few. The study revealed that acupuncture was able to provide pain relief, improve function and mobility of joints due to arthritis inflammation, and served to complement standard care.

Although there are many who would doubt the effectiveness of acupuncture, once they are a patient, they are believers. It has been proposed that acupuncture works and produces its effects through regulating the nervous system. The theory proposes that since acupuncture produces its effect through regulation of the nervous system, it induces the release of endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites on the body. There is also the theory that acupuncture alters the brain chemistry by the changing the neurotransmitters in the brain. Read more…

Are you a sugar user? More and more people are resorting to high sugar drinks and snacks for a quick jolt of energy. But the trouble with using sugar for an energy boost, is that it sets up a roller-coaster effect that can soon become addictive and lead to health problems down the line. Recent research has revealed an acupressure point that boosts energy and alertness naturally and with no come down.

The Highs & Lows of using Sugar for Energy
Soon after a sugar fix you start buzzing with energy, but it’s a short lived boost that soon swings sharply the other way with an energy slump. If you address that slump by eating or drinking something else high in sugar, you’ll get that energy rush again, followed by another slump.

Using sugar for energy gives sporadic results at best, but there are health dangers too. Diabetes II is an ever increasing risk in a world where we’re rushing to get more done and fighting daily battles with stress and fatigue. Sugar increases insulin levels and raises blood triglycerides which increases the risk of developing late onset Diabetes.

Acupressure Energy Boost
Acupuncture and Acupressure share a network of vital energy points situated along meridian channels throughout the body. For thousands of years these points have been used to influence qi (chi), the body’s subtle energy force, for a wide variety of physical and emotional benefits.

The University of Michigan recently finished an intensive study that set out to prove that acupressure can provide an effective natural energy boost. Lead researcher, Dr Richard Harris, explains “it [acupressure] seems to stimulate the nerves that moderate attention and alertness”.

Tapping the Sweet Spot
Students in the trial experimented with massaging five acupressure points for three minutes each. The most effective and stimulating point was the Si Shen Chong point, known to acupuncturists as one of the extraordinary acupoints (HN1), and found right in the centre of the top of the head.

Participants in the trial found the most effective way to get a sugar-free energy boost, was to tap this point lightly with the fingertips for two or three minutes. Read more…

We all know Acupressure has been around for some 5,000 years now and those of us involved in Holistic and wellness remain convinced that the procedures encompassed within this sphere are more efficacious than physical therapy. Every living being has a life force, or energy, called qi or chi (pronounced “chee”). When this energy, which runs along meridians, is in balance and flowing freely, the body is in a state of health. Acupoints tap into the the major energy pathways of the body

When this energy is blocked or deficient, illness can result. These energy disruptions are often the result of stress or injury. It is believed that acupressure causes the brain to release endorphins. Endorphins play an important role in immune function, pain relief, stress reduction, and slowing the aging process.

Lower back pain has long been the bain of the modern world not only in lost man hours but also because of the numerous side effects, complications and nuances of lower back pain complaints. Further studies now confirm the benefits of acupressure over physical therapy. Albeit that the studies failed to take into account functional status and disability as recommended by

most low back pain researchers the results are still very meaningful and relevant. In February 2006 a randomized controlled trial took place at The National Taiwan University in Taipei.

129 patients with chronic low back pain received acupressure or physical therapy for 1 month. Primary endpoints were self-administered Chinese versions of standard outcome measures for low back pain (Roland and Morris disability questionnaire) at baseline, after treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. After treatment, the mean total Roland and Morris disability questionnaire score was significantly lower in the acupressure group than in the physical therapy group regardless of the difference in absolute score or mean change from baseline.

Compared with physical therapy, acupressure was associated with an 89% reduction in significant disability and that improvement was maintained at 6-month follow-up. Study limitations include a confounding psychological effect of therapy; loss of 15.5% of patients to follow-up at 6 months and effectiveness of any manipulation therapy dependent on the therapist’s technique and experience. Read more…