Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation at very precise acupuncture points.
The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up the flow in one part of the body and restricts it in others.
The meridians can be influenced by needling the acupuncture points; the acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions at the dams, and reestablish the regular flow through the meridians. Acupuncture treatments can therefore help the body's internal organs to correct imbalances in their digestion, absorption, and energy production activities, and in the circulation of their energy through the meridians.
The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system.
Acupuncture is a very old medical art, and there are many approaches to learning and practicing it. Medical acupuncture is the term used to describe acupuncture performed by a doctor trained and licensed in Western medicine who has also had thorough training in acupuncture as a specialty practice. Such a doctor can use one or the other approach, or a combination of both as the need arises, to treat an illness. Dr. Diane MacDonnell is one of only 400 Board Certified Medical Acupuncturists in the United States.
While acupuncture is often associated with pain control. In the hands of a well-trained practitioner it has much broader applications.
The World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of medical problems, including:
Acupuncture is particularly useful in resolving physical problems related to tension and stress and emotional conditions and has a history of success in treating many maladies, including the following:
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Dr. MacDonnell is a Physician and is Board Certified in Medical Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Alagna is a Board Certified Physician and is certified in Medical Acupuncture
