Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a healing art that may have originated in ancient China. Documents describing the practice date back to the first century BC, while some believe archaeological evidence points to a much earlier origin: possibly as early as 8,000 years ago.

The medical theory of acupuncture centers on the concept of qi energy (pronounced “chee”). Qi is said to flow through the body’s energy pathways, known as meridians. Meridians match certain organs or groups of organs. Unlike Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine holds that disease is caused by an imbalance of this energy’s flow through the meridians.

In an attempt to unblock or otherwise redirect the flow of energy, acupuncturists shallowly insert very thin needles into specific points in the skin tissue. These points are called acupoints. This process is believed to adjust and alter the body’s energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and health conditions.

Further, Chinese medicine views the body as a small part of the universe, and subject to universal laws and principles of harmony and balance. Chinese medicine does not draw a sharp line, as Western medicine does, between mind and body. The Chinese system believes that emotions and mental states are every bit as influential on disease as purely physical mechanisms, and considers factors like work, environment, lifestyle and relationships as fundamental to the overall picture of a patient’s health. Chinese medicine also uses very different symbols and ideas to discuss the body and health. While Western medicine typically describes health in terms of measurable physical processes made up of chemical reactions, the Chinese use ideas like yin and yang, chi, the organ system, and the five elements to describe health and the body.

Our Acupuncture Program

At Windy City Chiropractic we utiluze acupuncture to compliment chiropractic therapies. The process is painless, and it may promote temporary or permanent pain relief, speed up healing and improve clinical outcome of certain conditions such as sciatica, pinched nerve, carpal tunnel, and many others.