Acupuncture for back pain relief is proving to be an effective treatment for different types of back pain. There are times when other treatments such as chiropractic or osteopathy are not working or the treatment does not last. Often I have found from experience that the reason is that the underlying ‘qi’ is blocked. Acupuncture is very effective in correcting this and the back condition then improves often without any other intervention.

Acupuncture For Back Pain Relief is Effective

According to a report conducted by medical researchers, acupuncture for low back pain works and can be cost effective. The cost of acupuncture is considered well below the threshold used by officials in order to decide whether or not the NHS is able to afford to fund such a set treatment.

However, two studies on BMJ.com suggest that a short course of acupuncture would really benefit patients and healthcare providers. It is said that up to 80 per cent of people in the UK will experience back pain at some point in their lives, which costs the NHS a staggering 480 million a year. The annual economic cost of low back pain in disability, sickness benefits and lost productivity is estimated to be more than 10 billion.

The evidence of acupuncture’s benefits is still inconclusive; however, around 2 per cent of the UK population uses it in any one year. Dr Hugh MacPherson from the University of York and colleagues and Sheffield University said they reached their conclusions by studying 241 adults that all had low back pain. All the patients remained under GP care but all were randomly assigned to up to 10 acupuncture treatment sessions or the usual NHS care.

The study was undertaken for a period of two years and it was discovered that the average cost of back pain treatment, including acupuncture, was 460, compared to 345 for usual care.

The investigators came to the conclusion that the health benefits gained from acupuncture in terms of quality and quantity of life were more worthwhile, regardless of it being more expensive. All patients who received acupuncture in the study claimed they felt lower pain levels and in result used fewer painkillers to those who received usual NHS care. The difference in pain scores between the groups was only small according to the study authors. Nevertheless they said it represented a “clinically worthwhile benefit” and can be viewed as a “moderate” effect.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Health said that it was up to the local NHS service providers to decide when to provide acupuncture. Chief executive of the British Acupuncture Council, Mike O’Farrell, said: “Our hope is that after regulation, the decision makers will have increased awareness and confidence to offer acupuncture more widely.”

Mike Cummings, medical director of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, cautioned that not everyone with back pain would benefit from acupuncture though. Author: Brendan Wilde For more information on Back Pain and other issues like these see http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brendan_Wilde

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What does acupuncture involve? Ths actually one of the most asked questions today.  There are many ways to describe this method of healing but it is important to know that when you ask what is acupuncture, you may find various answers to your question.  The reason for this is simple.  There are many forms of acupuncture, all of which can be effective to different levels.  As you work with a professional acupuncturist, you will want to consider what methods they use and how they can help you.

It is an ancient form of Chinese medicine that has been used for over 3000 years, some even believe longer.  In this method of healing, it does not work and is not based on any area of western medicine.  Rather, it is based on restoring the flow of qi through the body.  Qi is the energy force or the life force in the body.  When qi is unable to flow smoothly as it should, you feel pain or become ill.  Acupuncture works to allow the flow to be restored so that the pain subsides and improves greatly. If the qi is blocked or impeded it can also effect our emotional as well as mental state. Conversely, our predominant negative emotions and thoughts can adversely affect the flow of qi.

When you ask what is acupuncture, consider the method used to restore qi.  The term itself means "needle piercing".  To restore the flow of qi, the acupuncturist, or professional trained in this medicine treatment, will insert very thin needles into your skin.  They do this at specific anatomic points on the body.  These are called  acupuncture points or acupoints and deliver a specific treatment effect to some area of the body, mind or emotions.

Acupuncture Methods

In addition to inserting needles into these specific points, in many forms of acupuncture, the needles are combined with other methods including moxibustion, laser, small impulses of electromagnetic energy, friction or even suction.  Pressure acupuncture is also a common type.  They do this in order to stimulate points to cause a specific reaction.  In other words, by stimulating the acupuncture points, the body’s balance in the movement of the qi is restored to good flow, therefore improving your health in the process.

While a half century ago people would ask, what is acupuncture, and be met with an answer about distance medicine, in today’s world it has become a common and regularly used method of treating illness.  You should not stop taking medications assigned to you by your doctor, but you can and should use acupuncture as a method of healing that works alongside these other methods.  Acupuncture is widely encouraged and highly respected around the world.  Consider what it can add to your healing and well being.

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An understanding of what are the Five Elements of life lies at the roots of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.

People of ancient times were attuned to the changing cycles of the seasons and understood the rhythms of life, their underlying natural laws and they survived by living in accordance with them. Originally, an agricultural society the Chinese observed and learned from these cycles.

 “…just as Nature all around them is going through its natural process of change, they instinctively know that the Nature inside them follows these same patterns, that intuitively human beings go through the cycle of the seasons within themselves, that the Elements are recreated within them. Each Element is ever present and ever basic to life:

It is not just in the world around them that the tender shoots of spring are born bursting into life: it is also within themselves. It is not only in summer that things bloom and flourish, but also within them, and so on with all the seasons. “ Traditional Acupuncture: the Law of the Five Elements” by Dianne M. Connelly

Life is like a hologram where one part is a microcosm of the whole. That which applies to the level of spirit, also applies to the level of matter as the Law of the Five Elements manifests universally.

A return to health and well - being is based upon understanding and re-aligning ourselves with the natural and spiritual laws.

We live in and are ourselves made up of ever - changing energy patterns. The Chinese name for this Life Force energy is chi that flows in and around us like electricity. What differentiates one expression of it from another is its frequency and speed of vibration. As we think, speak and act, we are affecting the flow of this Life Force.

This Life Force, chi has a duality often known as yin and yang. Yang is creative expressive, outward and upward moving energy, whereas yin is nurturing, receptive, yielding, inward and downward moving energy. Yin and yang are never static, but they are ever moving and changing. They form a unity of opposite and complementary qualities and contain the seed of each other. Nothing is totally yin or totally yang. They underlie all phenomena and as a consequence the only certainty in life is change.

The Law of the Five Elements emerges from the cyclic movement of yin and yang. The Chinese word for Element is xing, which means to ‘step forward with one foot and then the other’. This is often translated as ‘phase’ or ‘movement’ so the Five Elements are different phases of Chi as it moves from yin to yang, yang to yin.

The best example to illustrate this is the cycle of the seasons.

Copyright - Helen Wall

(Click image to enlarge)

WOOD

Phase 1 Spring – increasing yang
After the dormancy of winter, in the spring there is the germination of seeds. new shoots begin to gently but powerfully push their way through the soil. The sap rises in the trunks of trees sending energy and sustenance to all the branches so that fresh leaves can emerge. Plants put down roots to draw nutrition from the earth, while new shoots reach upwards towards the light of the sun, which gradually increases in strength.  We can feel the vibrancy and vitality of this energy.

At every moment we are having thoughts, which are like seeds that we can choose to plant or put into action. Maybe, we begin planning some decorating, choosing a holiday, and preparing the garden for new planting. It is a good time to initiate any new task, to look ahead at what needs to be done in the forthcoming year, plan and make decisions of any kind.  There is a feeling of new strength and dynamism about the energy of spring.  The yang energy is beginning to increase. It is a very energetic time.

FIRE

Phase 2 Summer - maximum yang
In summer, after the initial germination of seeds in Springtime, growth is well under way. The days are longer and there is more sunlight. The root systems of plants are firmly established and plants are rapidly gaining in strength as they reach upwards and spread outwards to absorb the maximum amount of the sun’s energy. Everything is alive and flourishing. This is the period of full yang. Nature is serving the planet. Each plant and tree is fulfilling its purpose. Leaves are fully open as each tree performs its vital service to the planet of breathing in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen to maintain the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

In the same way, we too have a creative purpose to fulfil, and are here to express our highest potential. We each have something valuable and unique to share with the rest of the world. Maybe, it is a new idea, a skill a talent or perhaps a special quality like compassion, courage or determination. We are naturally creative beings.  Firstly, we need to give, and then automatically we will experience the return as the cycle of karma spins.

EARTH

Phase 3 Late Summer - balance
This is a special time of the year, which in the West we do not designate as a specific season. In the East, it is given significance, as it is an important point of balance. This is the time when the yang energy of summer has already reached its maximum and it is on the point of beginning to decrease, and the receiving energy of yin is about to develop. Both yang and yin are balanced here for a short time.

There is the culmination of all the power of growth, the formation of fruits containing new seeds on the trees, the fulfilment of Nature’s purpose as the Great Provider. There is abundance and satisfaction at this time of year. In the same way, if we are giving of ourselves in order to bring benefit to all our relationships, then we also begin to experience the fruit of that in the form of contentment and happiness. Fulfilment leads naturally to wanting to share the fruits of our efforts with others, to understanding and meeting their needs.

METAL

Phase 4 Autumn - increasing yin
the creative yang energy at work in the growing seasons, is now diminishing and the receptive qualities of yin energies are ascending. This is the season of reaping what has been sown. Fruits that fall to the ground release their precious treasure of seeds, so that these too can continue the task of serving the ecosystem next spring. This is the time of completion.

Leaves that are old and now of no use, are discarded and what is of value in the form of new life in the seeds is retained and protected in the earth. Nothing is truly wasted for even the rotting leaves provide nutrition for future rebirth. We too, can have the satisfaction that what we had set out to do earlier is now reaping its reward, and we can appreciate the value of the experience.

WATER

Phase 5 Winter - maximum yin
This is the period of rest, a time when energies are restored, a period of stillness and introspection. The receptive yin energy is at its fullest, and quietly underground, Nature is building up its reserves and empowering herself. Above ground, everything appears cold and lifeless because the creative yang energy is dormant. The trees are bare.

We too, need to experience quiet, reflective times when we can take stock and just “be”. This is a most valuable and necessary period. In today’s fast-moving world we do not give enough value to introspection, to the yin phase of the cycle of karma, for from this power of silence will emerge the birth of new ideas arising out of the treasure store of our experiences.

These five phases or Elements also flow within our body, mind and spirit.

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www.acupuncturebirmingham.com is dedicated to providing quality information on the subject of Acupuncture and in particular, what benefits you can expect from your acupuncture treatment.

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All the best,

Helen Wall

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Helen Wall

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