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Acupuncture

Acuuncture is one of the most common alternative health therapies. The practice consists of piercing the skin with needles at various points on the body, depending on the problem being treated (Guide, 2003, 52). The practice is based on a 5,000-year-old Chinese philosophy of internal energy known as 'chi' and its two components 'yin' and 'yang'. When these two forces are disturbed by disease, the placing of acupuncture needles at specific points along energy lines through the body known as meridians rebalances the yin and yang, realigning chi and restoring health.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture recognizes over 2,000 acupuncture points in 14 groups occurring along the meridians. Each point is identified by a name and a number, e.g. liver 3, bladder 10 (Guide, 2003, 52). It uses 20 to 30 needles at a time, left in place for 10 to 45 minutes per session. Western acupuncture uses about 200 points, and only two to four needles per treatment, left in for short periods of time, sometimes less than a minute. It is preceded by a full history and physical examination. Acupuncture is used to treat a wide variety of complaints including: pain, insomnia, anxiety, hay fever, eczema, sinusitis, labor pains, morning sickness, visceral pain, motion sickness, and hiccups.

In the United States, titles and licensure requirements vary from state to state, as does the scope of practice of acupuncturists: Licensed Acupuncturists (L.Ac.), Registered Acupuncturists (R.Ac.), or Doctors of Acupuncture (D.Ac.) Are allowed to practice herbology in some states; some states require acupuncturists to be Doctors of Oriental Medicine (D.O.M.) (Lawfully, 2004). The National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAON) administers a certification exam for practitioners, and those meeting the requirements and passing the exam are Diplomates in Acupuncture, Dipl.Ac. This certification is required by many but not all s...

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Acupuncture. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:18, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703934.html