Acupuncture is a combination of the words “acus” meaning needle and “puncture” meaning to pierce. In other words, acupuncture is a treatment method used in the sense of puncturing with a needle or simply "pinning".
Acupuncture, which is one of the methods used in the treatment of pain and many diseases, is directly applied in our TCM (traditional and complementary medicine) unit by our Ministry of Health certified experienced physician and the team.
Acupuncture produces good results in cases of functional loss that have not reached the surgical stage, in which classical treatment methods are insufficient, based on the motto "It heals the deteriorated, it does not fix the devastated ones". At the beginning of these are muscle and joint complaints, that is, diseases of the movement system.
The self-repairing power of the human body is very high. Despite this, the body cannot activate this ability to repair for many reasons such as metabolic, toxic, and inflammatory reasons. Acupuncture therapy, on the other hand, activates this repair power by stimulating certain points. Acupuncture is used on 650-700 points out of about 1,000 simulation points in the human body. In acupuncture, a program specific to the patient and the disease is applied, in which separate points are used for each disease.
Yin ve yang energy balance
The main philosophy of acupuncture is that in everything in the universe, there are energy flows called "yin" and "yang", which are opposite to each other but work in balance. Proper functioning occurs when this energy flows in a balanced and harmonious way. Likewise, it is accepted that there is a balance of yin and yang that ensures the regular functioning of the energy flow in the human body. According to the thought of acupuncture, there are pathways called "meridian" through which energies in the body flow. Diseases occur when the energy flow is interrupted for various reasons and the balance is disturbed. Here, acupuncture treats diseases by reorganizing interrupted energy currents.
In the acupuncture method, it is aimed to restore the disturbed balance in the body by inserting a needle for a certain period. Since the body is accepted as a whole, for example, in a patient with pain, repair mechanisms are activated by improving the general functioning of the body, rather than focusing only on the painful area. In other words, while physicians deal only with diseases that fall within their field of expertise, for example, while ophthalmologists deal only with the eye and cardiologist only with the heart, acupuncture deals with the patient as a whole, both physically and spiritually, with a holistic approach.
The stimulations made by acupuncture needles are transmitted to almost every part of the organism. Thus, by strengthening the immune system, many diseases due to the decrease in body resistance can be treated, and we can address the underlying reasons for the pain as well as we can relieve the pain.
Acupuncture Practice
Mostly, acupuncture is applied as general body and ear acupuncture.
Ear acupuncture
Organs and parts of the body are represented by a point on the outer ear (auricle). The auricle is likened to an upside-down fetus. The areas and points corresponding to the parts of the body are pinned to correct the disturbed balance. They can be applied separately or combined.
General body acupuncture
For the damaged organs and systems of the body, the relevant points of the 12 meridians where the energy is excessive or interrupted are needled.
Acupuncture is usually applied to the skin in the form of needle insertion or electro-acupuncture. Needle-free applications such as finger pressure, electrical stimulation, laser, and seed can also be performed. Needles are mostly steel single-use needles. Since the needles are very thin, they do not cause pain. The needles are pinned to predetermined points and left for about 20 minutes.
In ear acupuncture, the needles are left on the ear for an average of 1 week. An average of 10-12 sessions of treatment is organized. Patients begin to heal in the third or fourth session.
Acupuncture also eliminates the side effects of unnecessary drug use for a long time. It minimizes cost and labor loss.
Diseases and Conditions Acupuncture can be Implemented:
- Pain: Effective results are obtained in shoulder pain and movement limitations, difficulty in walking, sitting up, and kneeling due to knee pain, and pains in the elbow, wrist, foot, heel, and sole.
- Neck and lower back pain: It is an effective method that can be applied together with physical therapy and injection treatments in waist and neck hernias.
- Obesity
- Quitting smoking
- Rheumatic diseases
- Migraine and sinusitis
- Allergic reactions
- Diseases of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract
- High blood pressure
- Exam stress experienced by students
- Depression
- Constipation
Acupuncture is a treatment method that can be applied alone or in combination with other treatment methods.
Losing weight with acupuncture
Reducing the calorie intake and increasing the calorie expenditure, that is, diet and exercise, are considered indispensable. Acupuncture makes a great contribution to the feasibility and sustainability of the diet program. With the suppression and control of the appetite center in the brain, the feeling of hunger decreases and is suppressed. Heartburn is prevented. It prevents fatigue and exhaustion. It reduces stress. It has a regulatory and accelerating role in metabolism.
Due to the hunger that occurs during the diet, activities of daily living may be adversely affected, and a reluctance to exercise may occur, especially with diet. Acupuncture also comes into play here, making a great contribution to fulfilling the person's daily activities and expending calories by exercising. Accordingly, with the body acupuncture sessions, the frequency of which is gradually decreasing, or with the help of auricular acupuncture treatment performed once a week, excess weight begins to be shed.
After reaching the ideal weight, the person is taken to protection therapy and acupuncture is applied every 3 weeks. At this stage, "healthy eating, not a strict diet" is accompanied by exercise. The weight is fixed. In order to maintain this situation, acupuncture can be performed 2 or 3 times a year.
Quitting smoking with acupuncture
With acupuncture treatment, the release of serotonin and endorphins from the brain is stimulated, and the symptoms that occur with nicotine withdrawal are prevented. In this way, the difficult period of the first 72 hours and afterward will pass more comfortably. Thus, the person quits smoking without difficulty. In the first 3 sessions of 20 minutes each to be applied consecutively or every other day, the feeling of deprivation is controlled. Then, at least 5 sessions of treatment are continued at intervals varying according to the patient's degree of addiction.
Three outcomes occur during acupuncture treatment. (1) The person's desire to smoke decreases. (2) Even if he smokes, he does not enjoy it. (3) Withdrawal symptoms do not occur.
Those who decide to quit smoking should know that they should try not to start again after the treatment. Otherwise, they may go back to where he started and start smoking again.