Acupuncture
What is Western Medical Acupuncture?
Western medical acupuncture is a therapeutic modality involving the insertion of fine needles into points and structures of the body; it is an adaptation of Chinese acupuncture, using current knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, and the principles of evidence based medicine.
(British Medical Acupuncture Society)
Acupuncture originated in China, where it is used as one of a range of treatments provided within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM is taught in medical schools in China, and TCM doctors have a different way of viewing how the human body works. The theories of TCM and those of The Traditional Medical Model of disease is thought to be hard to reconcile/correlate.
Despite modern limitations surrounding the connectedness of TCM and Western theories of acupuncture, it is practiced successfully worldwide and for a very long time.
There is a great deal of Western scientific research into pain that has lead to an understanding of how acupuncture works. In particular, it is known that acupuncture causes the release of natural pain-killing substances within our bodies. In other words, acupuncture appears to help our bodies to moderate pain levels.
Some practitioners of Western Medical Acupuncture are not only trained as orthodox healthcare professionals, but are also trained in TCM. They often use the descriptive title "medical acupuncturist".
Your Synergy Therapist has had training in both TCM and Western Medical Acupuncture and reconciles the differences and complementary nature of both perspectives.
