Many people are intrigued by the idea of acupuncture. Perhaps you have even had some experience with 
it yourself or know someone that enjoys its benefits. Even those that have utilized this both ancient and quite-modern technique do not realize how versatile it is. Acupuncture is not just about physical pain, in fact that is the smallest use of its healing powers. Acupuncture has roots going back according to many estimates to at least 4,000 years ago in China. Besides the idea of its efficacy and safety that long ago being mind boggling, there is actually a man that was found frozen in the Nordic regions from 5300 B.C. covered in tattoos corresponding to the Chinese acupuncture points and with leftovers of medicinal herbs in his system!
Acupuncture is actually only one piece of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which also includes nutrition, herbalism, physical exercise (tai chi), mental and energetic balancing (qigong) and bonesetting (chiropractic). By the way, most people barely feel acupuncture, if at all, and actually find a deep sense of relaxation when the needles are inserted.
There are many systems and styles of acupuncture. Many techniques exist from a variety of regions going back thousands of years, and there is a huge variety of modern systems, both similar and novel, to extract the body’s innate healing properties. Most acupuncture has the intent of influencing the body’s movement of blood, fluids and qi. Blood is our body’s vital substance, providing nourishing compounds. A basic way to think about this is that many of our diseases are the result of irregularities in the flow of blood, such as what they call stagnation or lack of and blockage of blood flow. A Western thought of this would be weak circulation of the legs or heart. Qi is an amazing concept. While difficult to fully grasp from a Western perspective, one can think about qi as the flow of all the body’s energies, nerve impulses and systems understood, and perhaps even undiscovered. Science actually has yet to fully comprehend the miracle of life or even our full anatomy. We see this all the time as recent scientific developments only discover what TCM has actually described thousands of years ago. What is most amazing about acupuncture is that even without fully knowing or understanding the “science” of it all, these systems known and unknown are still influenced and utilized to stimulate healing.
Acupuncture is a full medical system. It is used to support the healing of virtually every health condition and disease. While it is certainly more well-known in the states for pain control, it helps amazingly in a variety of other areas. Many fertility doctors recommend acupuncture to their patients, and I have certainly found significant benefit and helped many difficult cases achieve pregnancy. We have helped so many with thyroid problems, autoimmune conditions and digestive diseases, to name a few. Often, those with unusual symptoms that seem to have no medical explanation or treatment find quick relief using a few filiform needles.
Acupuncture is an amazing technique. It has so much power to influence the healing of the body, and many have reaped its myriad rewards. Combined with other basic healing modalities, such as proper nutrition, herbalism and balancing the body’s structure through chiropractic bonesetting, the body often can heal itself in unimaginable ways.
Source: Dr. David Pollack, of Pollack Wellness Institute, located at 66 Commack Rd., Ste. 204, in Commack. For more information, call 631-462-0801 or visit https://www.pollackwellness.com/.
