Patients questions
1. What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is one of the oldest methods of treatment. Established in China during the stone age, i.e. over a period of 10,000 up to 4,000 years BC. Acupuncture points can be stimulated by pressure (acupressure), needles (acupuncture), laser (laserpuncture), moxa and electricity (electropuncture).
2. What is acupuncture treatment?
According to old Chinese theory, acupuncture treatment is based on the existence of meridians (energy channels) through which the life energy of Qi circulates, according to today's concepts - bioelectricity. In healthy people, Qi energy flows freely to all organs and allows them to function properly. In the event of a disruption in the circulation of this energy, organ function is impaired and, as a consequence, a disease occurs. The disease can be caused by blocking the flow of energy, its excess or deficiency in a given meridian. Puncturing the right points of the body restores proper energy flow and thus health. The existence of energy channels has been confirmed by modern scientists. Tests have shown that radioisotopes administered to acupuncture points spread exactly along the energy channels designated several thousand years ago. Currently, there are devices that can accurately measure the energy level in each channel.
3.Does acupuncture really work?
This healing method has survived several thousand years and in addition is becoming more and more popular. This indicates that it is effective. Acupuncture treatments can be performed only by properly prepared doctors. It is worth adding that in many countries of the world (e.g. Great Britain or Australia), treatments are performed under health insurance.
4. Are acupuncture treatments safe?
If they are performed by a properly trained doctor, they are as safe as possible. There is no possibility of nerve damage or infection with the jaundice virus or HIV. Treatments are performed with disposable needles. On the other hand, I advise against performing pseudo-specialists with no appropriate qualifications. It should be emphasized that in Poland only doctors are educated in the field of acupuncture. Unfortunately, there are offices where acupuncture is performed by self-appointed specialists who are not physicians who do not have adequate knowledge about anatomy, acupuncture training and and supervision of sanitary inspectors. A visit to such offices may end with complications. Therefore, acupuncture should be performed only in doctor's offices.
5.Are acupuncture treatments painful?
An average sensitive adult does not feel pain when pricking. The needles are very thin, have a diameter of 0.25 mm and are therefore much thinner than the needles used for injection. The first treatment is often accompanied by fear of pain, and patients come without fear for subsequent treatments. They admit that they imagined that the procedures were more painful than it turned out in reality. In addition, children or very sensitive people perform treatments specially designed for acupuncture laser, which causes absolutely no pain.
6.What can be treated with acupuncture?
Many diseases are treated with acupuncture (some of them are listed on the „indications for the use of acupuncture” page). However, most often, it is used in diseases in which modern European medicine is helpless and acupuncture is able to effectively help. The largest group of my patients are patients with various pain ailments including but not limited to back, joint, head, sciatica, discopathy and trigeminal nerve pains. These may be ailments caused by degeneration, disease, rheumatic, trauma, etc. Very often patients also come because of neurosis, insomnia. In these two groups of diseases, acupuncture has a definite advantage over traditional medicine because it has little to offer the patient. Mainly analgesics or sedatives are used, which basically do not cure the disease but only temporarily relieve the discomfort. In addition, these drugs are quite toxic, and when taken chronically, they damage various organs and cause numerous unpleasant side effects. In contrast, acupuncture treatments are completely harmless and cause permanent healing or significant improvement even when the disease requires constant medication.
Patients seeking help in quitting addiction also often come. For example, when quitting smoking, acupuncture eliminates so-called craving for nicotine causes that this period passes calmly without the usually accompanying quitting smoking nervousness and detoxifying processes occur faster.
Children most often report, because of recurrent infections and perform immunity treatments. These are completely painless laserpuncture treatments.
Recently, it is fashionable to perform acupuncture in aesthetic medicine - slimming and rejuvenating treatments are being done.