What Does Acupuncture Really Do?

Acupuncturist in Chapel Hill, NC | Acupractic Natural Healing Center

Acupuncture is an ancient healing practice in which the acupuncturist inserts small, sterile needles into specific points on the skin to stimulate and direct the body’s natural healing response. Licensed acupuncturists (LAc), such as Dr. Lisa Oskardmay at Acupractic Natural Healing Center in Chapel Hill, carefully choose acupuncture points; there are over 365 acknowledged acupuncture points on the human body, and point selection is a crucial step in an effective acupuncture treatment.

Understanding Qi and the Effects of Stagnation

Qi, or energy, movement is vital to a person’s well-being. Stagnant qi occurs when the body’s energies do not move freely. Examples of problems from stagnant qi include: too much heat building up in some areas, resulting in issues such as inflammation or ulcers; and too much cold building up in areas, resulting in problems such as stones, bunions, and carbuncles. When qi doesn’t move, oxygenation may suffer at the tissue level, nutrient distribution may be inadequate throughout the body, pores may not open to eliminate toxins, and muscle weakness may result in poor posture, to name a few of the resulting problems. Acupuncture treatment works to resolve these problems by restoring the flow of qi.

How Acupuncturists Determine the Right Treatment

LACs use a variety of methods to determine channel disturbance location and, hence, point selection. Through patient interviews, we recognize where elemental channel disturbance exists. Pulse and tongue inspection provide additional information. Some practitioners, including Dr. Oskardmay, also use point palpation to detect regions of distress and imbalance, tenderness, and stagnation. Once we’ve seen the cause of qi flow disruption, we choose the acupuncture point best suited to restore integrity to the system and strategically insert acupuncture needles at specific body points.

Acupuncture needles are modern devices we use to pinpoint regions of distress and energy imbalance. Acupuncture is thousands of years old, and in ancient times, practitioners used crude devices such as rocks and sticks, later moving to filiform needles to mobilize qi. Licensed acupuncturists use the clean needle technique to insert sterile acupuncture needles at various depths to achieve deqi and reorient energy distribution in the body. After treatment, which may last 15 minutes to an hour, patients generally feel refreshed, relaxed, and more in tune with their body. Relaxation aids healing, and body awareness improves compliance. Many patients receive acupuncture treatment 2-3 times a week at the beginning of care, then move to a less frequent schedule over time.

While it may seem mysterious at first, many patients recognize the value and benefit of acupuncture after their first experience. Called ‘The Barefoot Doctor’, many acupuncture practitioners depend on information handed down over centuries, combined with modern-day enhancements such as filiform sterile needles, electrostimulation on points, and sterile needle technique to bring this nondrug, nonsurgical approach to healing to millions of people each year.

Schedule Acupuncture in Chapel Hill, NC

Call 919-929-1400 to schedule your appointment today, or visit us online at acudocnc.com 24 hours a day to learn more and schedule online. Serving the Triangle community since 1995, Acupractic Natural Healing Center is celebrating 30 years of healthcare excellence. We look forward to providing compassionate, effective care to you and your loved ones.