Acupuncture is a branch of traditional medicine that has been practised in China and the far east for thousands of years. It has been developed, tested, researched and refined over this time into a treatment option accessed by increasing numbers of patients in the West. Without the benefit of modern scientific equipment the first acupuncturists understood and described many familiar concepts within biomedical sciences, such as the liver's role in clotting, and the spleen/pancreas and it's links with energy and blood sugar regulation.

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A growing body of evidence-based clinical research is discovering how the body responds to acupuncture and its benefits for a wide range of common health conditions and many people have treatment to relieve specific aches and pains such as osteoarthritis of the knee, TMJ pain, headaches and low back pain, or for common health problems like an overactive bladder. Other people choose acupuncture when they can feel their bodily functions are out of balance but have no obvious western medical diagnosis leading to western medical treatment and many also have regular treatment simply because they find it beneficial and relaxing.

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The focus for a traditional, professional acupuncturist is on the patient as an individual and not just their specific illness, and all symptoms are seen as part of an interconnected pattern. Treatment involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points which are said to affect the flow of your body’s qi, or vital energy, although there is ongoing research and study that suggests what many practitioners already know: that inserting needles into the channels (or meridians) brings about fundamental change within the human body, and that the term 'energy' is rather simplistic.

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There is a great deal of research now available related to acupuncture and the benefits that patients might expect, and our good friends at Evidence Based Acupuncture are doing sterling work collecting, scrutinising, and sharing at Conferences around the world.  Fascinating stuff, with areas on their site for practitioners and patients alike, so if you are interested in where the current research is at, click on the image below and take a look at their site.   (Keep in mind here that we are talking about acupuncture as provided by a comprehensively trained practitioner.)

 

You might also be interested in our own growing body of work in this area, in which case you could also check out our Student Mental Health research page