Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a complementary medicine, oriental medicine method. It is a type of treatment that aims to treat diseases by pinning some point or points on the body surface. In our country, it is known as a form of treatment that is mostly used for pain relief, slimming and weight loss. However, acupuncture is a method that treats many diseases, not just these issues. Acupuncture points are located on the linear meridians and channels on the body surface. These points are stimulated by needle, pressure, ultrasound, light or electric current. Acupuncture therapy is based on the stimulation of these points. Acupuncture is a Latin word derived from “acus” meaning needle and “punctura” meaning to pierce. It is used as “acupuncture” in Western languages. It can be translated into Turkish as “needling”.

Acupuncture is a treatment method applied on 361 general points in the body, 48 extra points and 150 points in the ear. When these points are stimulated with a laser, magnetic wave or a needle, the messages pushed from there stimulate both that area and some centers, causing some secretions to emerge from the endocrine glands, and these secretions go and treat that defective area. Very beneficial effects are seen on patients suffering from constant pain.

Each person has their own acupuncture points. Here, we treat those points with a special detector or by detecting their anatomical location and stimulating them with needles. The needles used are a mixture of steel and silver, and their length varies according to the depth of the acupuncture point.

Philosophy of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a known treatment method in China since 5000 years. Acupuncture and moxibustion (treatment with heat) are explained at length in the book called “HUANG DY NEY JYNG”, which was written 4700 years ago during the Yellow Kingdom of China. In addition, this book gives detailed information about channels and points, needles, manipulation techniques and diseases that acupuncture treats. “HUANG DY NEY JYNG” is considered the first medical book.

According to traditional Chinese philosophy, human is considered a part of the living universe and it is believed that the universal power that is present in everything is also in human. This power called “CİĞ” = “energy” circulates in channels called meridians in the human body. There are 14 meridians in the human body (12 double and 2 odd).

According to the belief in China, “CİĞ ” (energy), YIN and YANG are under the influence of universal forces. The direct meaning of the word YIN is shadow, darkness, moon, negative, cold, woman, night, earth, inner side; The meaning of YANG is light, bright, sun, positive, warm, male, daytime, sky, outer side.

Taijii Symbol

TAIJYI (GREAT DILIMUM) symbolizes YIN and YANG. Black represents YIN and white represents YANG. YIN contains YANG and YANG contains YIN. According to traditional Chinese philosophy, there are parts of YIN and YANG in the sky, on earth and in all beings, including human beings. For example, the visible outer face, upper part and back of the body are in YANG character. The internal organs, the lower part of the body, the interior and the abdomen are of YIN character.

According to traditional Chinese philosophy, any shortage, imbalance or excess or interruption of body energy (CHY) causes the balance between YIN and YANG to be disrupted. This causes people to get sick. In order to overcome the patients, the patient receives acupuncture treatment at certain intervals, that is, attends the sessions, in order to maintain the disrupted balance. (one session can take between 20-40 minutes)

The Effect Mechanism

In order to understand the mechanism of action of acupuncture and medical massage in the philosophy and medical approach of the East, it is necessary to grasp the balance system in the body. In the whole world, there is a balance of contrasts such as day and night, cold-hot, female-male, bitter-sweet. There is a balance of these opposites in the human body. In Chinese philosophy, this is called the balance of Yin and Yang.

There are 12 double and 2 single meridians in the human body. These meridians are energy channels. These channels are invisible to the naked eye and circulate throughout the body. What circulates in these channels, called meridians, is life (çiğ) energy. According to Chinese philosophy, dysfunctions in this system cause malfunctions in the human body.

Here, acupuncture restores this disrupted energy flow.

From a scientific point of view, we can explain the effect of other medical methods related to acupuncture in the medical approach as follows: The body works like a chemical factory and these chemicals are balanced with the electrical energy of the body. Deficiencies in this chemical and electrical system cause diseases, or disruptions in thinking and lifestyle cause diseases by damaging this system.

Acupuncture restores the electrically and chemically disturbed balance and allows the body, which works like a chemical factory, to produce its own medicine.

Diseases Treated with Acupuncture

In 1978, the WHO (World Health Organization), meeting in the Philippines, published for the first time a list of diseases that could be treated with acupuncture. The list of indications was later expanded and reorganized at the WHO Assembly in Cervia, Italy in 1994. Diseases for which the effectiveness of acupuncture has been proven by scientific control group studies:

•  Back and lower back pain
•  Neck pain
•  Sciatica
•  Tennis elbow
•  Knee pain (Gonarthrosis = knee calcification)
•  Periarthritis of the shoulder
•  Facial (trigeminal neuralgia) pain
•  Headaches (Migraine, sinusitis, tension and headaches due to neck calcification)
•  Dental (tooth) pain
•  Temporo-mandibular dysfunction (jaw joint disorders)
•  Rheumatoid arthritis
•  Post-operative pain
•  Labor induction (Initiation)
•  Correction of the baby’s position in the womb (malposition)
•  Pregnancy nausea and vomiting
•  Stroke (in the first 3-6 months)
•  Essential hypertension
•  Renal colic (kidney stone pain)
•  Leukopenia (in case of decreased leukocytes)
•  Treatment of radiation and chemotherapy side effects
•  Allergic rhinitis (allergic nasal catarrh)
•  Biliary colic (gallbladder stone pain)
•  Depression
•  Acute bacillary dysentery
•  Primary dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation, menses)
•  Acute epigastralgia
•  Peptic ulcer (stomach and duodenal ulcer)
•  Acute and chronic gastritis
•  Abdominal (abdominal) pain
•  Acne vulgaris (acne)
•  Alcohol addiction and detoxification
•  Peripheral facial paralysis
•  Bronchial asthma
•  In cancer pain
•  Cardiac (heart) neurosis (psychological pains)
•  Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder)
•  Cholelithiasis (Gallbladder stones)
•  Stress
•  Diabetes Mellitus (Insulin independent=Type 2)
•  Ear pain (causeless)
•  Epistaxis (nosebleed)
•  Female infertility (without organic findings)
•  Facial spasm
•  Fibromyalgia and tendinitis (muscle and tendon disorders)
•  Gouty arthritis
•  Insomnia
•  Reducing labor pain
•  Milk deficiency
•  Male sexual disorder (non-organic)
•  Meniere’s
•  Post herpetic end pains (end shingles pains)
•  Obesity (Simple)
•  Morphine, cocaine and heroin addiction
•  Osteoarthritis (bone calcifications)
•  Burger (Thrombo-angitis obliterans)
•  Polycystic ovary syndrome
•  Premenstrual tension syndrome
•  Chronic prostate inflammation
•  Itching for no reason
•  Reynaud’s syndrome
•  Recurrent lower urinary tract infections
•  Urinary retention (retention of urine)
•  Sjögren’s syndrome
•  Sore throat (due to tonsillitis)
•  Sudden spasm (stiffness) of the neck muscles
•  Nicotine addiction
•  Ulcerative colitis (Spastic colon)
•  Urinary tract stones
•  Whooping cough