Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is the use of tiny, hair-thin, sterilized, metal needles that are inserted into the skin along specific meridians throughout the body. Each meridian corresponds with specific organs and is a channel for the flow of qi, or universal energy. Acupuncturists believe that illness is caused when the flow of qi is blocked, either by stagnant energy or some other type of obstruction. With the qi blocked, the energy cannot flow efficiently throughout the body. The result is pain, discomfort, and health conditions that can lead to chronic illness.

What Type of Health Conditions Will Acupuncture Treat?

Acupuncture can be used to treat various types of illness. It can even be used to help a person fall asleep easier and stop smoking. Acupuncture treatments are effective at relieving the pain and discomfort associated with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and degenerative bone disease. Inserting needles into specific areas can also help to relieve migraine pain, neurological pain, and the pain that often accompanies sciatica and other conditions involving bone and nerves.

Does Acupuncture Cause Side Effects?

In most cases, acupuncture offers very few side effects. The needles used in most acupuncture procedures are pure metal and extremely thin. The needles used by Dr. Lay are always sterilized and only used once. Most people can't feel the needles being inserted into the skin. Some patients may describe a numbness or tingling feeling after the procedure is over, but for the most part, there are very few instances of side effects being reported. After an acupuncture session is over, many people claim to be completely relaxed and refreshed, feeling as if they had just taken a nap. While many people are skeptical about acupuncture, those who use it claim that it works without question. Scientific studies have proven that acupuncture does hold valid concepts and that many elements of the philosophy have been sufficiently proven to work.