Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the methods of reflex physiotherapy. The method is based on the phylo- and ontogenetic relationship of certain areas of the skin through the nervous and humoral systems with internal organs. The use of the method is fully justified in neuroses and neurosis-like disorders with pronounced instability of the main nervous processes and vegetative functions.

Acupuncture - as a method of treatment without the use of any drugs - has existed for almost four millennia. In the 7th century, while the population of Europe, which had forgotten Hippocrates and Galen, was dying out from epidemics, a 30-volume illustrated medical work, "A Thousand Golden Recipes," was written in China. Its author, an outstanding doctor of that time, Sun Simiao, described in detail the methods of getting rid of many diseases, including by "pricking" at certain points on the body.

And when we talk about non-traditional (alternative to official clinical medicine) methods of treatment using dry puncture, acupuncture or needle acupuncture, we mean traditional Chinese acupuncture or zhen-jiu therapy.

By the way, a thousand years ago - at the beginning of the 11th century - the first visual teaching aids on acupuncture appeared in China in the form of human figures cast from bronze, on which "vital points" for acupuncture were marked. And there are more than six hundred such points on the human body.

The peculiarity of the method is its strict locality, the possibility of direct impact on nerve endings and different levels of the nervous system. The choice of points (three categories of points are known: remote-reflex, metameric-segmental and local action) and their combinations are strictly individual.

With the help of acupuncture, an impact is made on points of remote reflex action, which have a regulating effect on the functional state of the nervous system as a whole; metameric-segmental action, which is especially indicated for neurovegetative and neurosomatic disorders; local action (symptomatic).

It is advisable to begin treatment of patients with neuroses by using general action points. Then (depending on the clinical manifestations - from the 3rd-4th session) the impact on segmental and local points is added. Thus, in the treatment of neuroses, points of all three categories are usually used.

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Indications for acupuncture

Acupuncture is prescribed daily or every other day, for a course of 7-20 procedures. Usually 1-3 (less often 4) courses are carried out with breaks of 7-20 days between them. Subsequently, maintenance therapy is carried out in short courses or individual procedures, which increases the therapeutic effectiveness of the method.

Acupuncture is most effective in neurasthenia (especially in the hypersthenic form), and to a lesser extent in hysteria and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In cases of severe vegetative dysfunctions and neurosomatic disorders, acupuncture can be used as an additional method in a comprehensive treatment program. There is no doubt about the advisability of psychotherapeutic mediation and potentiation of acupuncture.

Indications for acupuncture are related to the fact that this therapeutic method reflexively affects muscle tone, reducing pain, and also activating blood supply and metabolism at the cellular level. The positive effect of acupuncture is noted in such diseases as:

• neuralgia, radiculitis, lumbago;
• myositis, myalgia, muscle spasms;
• arthritis and arthrosis, osteochondrosis of all parts of the spine;
• neurosis and neurasthenia;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia, migraine;
• bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis;
• gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastric ulcer, colitis, cholecystitis, etc.
• hypertension, angina pectoris and some types of cardiac pathologies;
• cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis;
• menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea;
• hypo- and hyperfunction of the thyroid gland;
• obesity, diabetes;
• postoperative and post-traumatic restoration of functions.

In modern clinical practice, acupuncture is never used as a monotherapy, but has deservedly established itself as a very effective auxiliary means for relieving the symptoms of many diseases.

Contraindications to acupuncture

The list of contraindications to acupuncture includes all types of oncological diseases, acute cardiac and renal failure, benign neoplasms of any etiology and localization, problems with blood clotting, infectious diseases (including bacterial and viral), active tuberculosis, epilepsy, exacerbation of chronic mental pathologies.

Acupuncture is also contraindicated in cases of elevated temperature, bleeding, acute intestinal disorders, and in the case of taking medications containing hormones (primarily hormonal contraceptives).

It is not recommended to use this method of reflex action for children under five years of age, as well as for women during pregnancy, breastfeeding and menstruation.

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Acupuncture technique

The method of acupuncture, as a set of proven methods and techniques of placing needles in biologically active points, verified in practice, is based on the idea of oriental medicine that it is necessary to treat not the symptoms of the disease, but the entire human body. Because in accordance with the philosophical teaching on the "way of things" - Taoism - each person is a self-sufficient energy system, where all the primary elements are present (fire, earth, wood, metal and water), they all interact with each other according to the principle of unity and struggle of opposites (yin-yang), the functioning of the body is supported by the vital energy of qi, and its circulation occurs through energy channels - meridians. Acupuncture is designed to cause a reaction of the body to the activation of its "vital points". And this reaction is the restoration of internal energy balance, harmonization of the yang and yin principles and the direction of internal energy to the right place. Upon achieving this goal, the body overcomes the disease.

The formulations of ancient ideas are certainly archaic, but perhaps these ideas are not so far from the real state of affairs. And from the point of view of clinical medicine, the fact of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is quite simple to explain: the injection excites cutaneous and subcutaneous pain receptors and thin fibers that innervate soft tissues. Then this reflex excitation goes to the peripheral section of the autonomic nervous system, the nodes of which are located either in the internal organs themselves or in nearby tissues. And from there these signals are transmitted even further - to the central section of the autonomic nervous system and the brain. And the whole point is that it is necessary to activate exactly the point that will send the signal needed in a given situation...

The method of acupuncture is based on the doctrine of meridians (energy yin and yang channels), through which internal energy circulates in the body. Ancient healers identified 12 standard meridians and 2 additional ones: the meridian of the lungs (P), large intestine (GI), stomach (E), spleen and pancreas (RP), heart (C), small intestine (IG), urinary bladder (V), kidneys (R), pericardium (MC), meridian of three heaters or three parts of the body (TR), gallbladder (VB), liver (F).

There are two more meridians: the posterior median (VG) with 28 points and the anterior median (VC), which has 24 active points. The VG meridian begins with point VG1 (chan-qiang, in the perineum, halfway between the anus and the coccyx) and ends with point VG28 (yin-jiao, on the border of the transition of the mucous membrane of the upper lip to the gum). And the VC meridian begins from point VC1 (hui-yin, in the perineum) and stretches along the center of the front surface of the body to point VC24 (chen-jian), which is located under the lower lip - right in the center.

In addition to the general principles of qi energy circulation along the meridians and the impact on their active points, the acupuncture technique takes into account that in some cases it is necessary to eliminate the energy deficit at a given point, and then it is excited (toned) by quickly inserting and removing the needle. In other cases, the point must be freed from excess accumulated energy, so it is calmed (sedated): the needle is inserted for a certain time (from 5 to 25 minutes). The duration of one course of acupuncture should not exceed 10-15 sessions, and if repetition is necessary, a two-week break is taken.

Needles for acupuncture are made of high-quality stainless steel (the same as that used to make surgical instruments) and are produced sterile - for single use (in sets of 4-10 pieces per package). The length of the needles is from 1.5 cm to 12 cm, the thickness is about 0.3 mm. There are also needles covered with silver or gold.

The needles for acupuncture are sharpened in a special way: their tip is slightly rounded, which minimizes tissue damage when the needle is inserted.

Acupuncture treatment

Acupuncture treatment has several forms:

• corporal acupuncture (placing needles at active points of the body);
• auricular acupuncture or microreflex system of placing needles on points located on the auricles;
• reflex action on biologically active points located only on the hands or feet.

All the energy circulation meridians and active points on them listed above are classical corporal acupuncture. But specific reflex points (more than a hundred) for auricular acupuncture were singled out as a separate group only in the 20th century. This happened when, based on Chinese acupuncture, the German doctor Reinhold Voll developed a diagnostic method of electroacupuncture and managed to convince some doctors that the ear of each person contains a complete "reflex map" of his body, but in an "inverted" position (which is very similar to an inverted fetus in the womb).

Auricular acupuncture can reduce overall nervous tension and relieve pain, either by itself or in combination with acupuncture at other points on the body. Doctors were reluctant to recognize the method for almost 40 years, but in 1997 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave conditional approval to the practice of acupuncture.

Stimulation of points on the ear can alleviate not only "regional" diseases (of the head and face), but also help with pathological disorders in the thoracic, abdominal, lumbar regions, as well as in the joints and muscles of the extremities. Thus, auricular acupuncture is used to relieve toothache, pain in trigeminal neuralgia, migraine. A positive therapeutic effect of this technique is noted in sleep disorders, dizziness, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and tonsillitis, as well as in such eye diseases as glaucoma and optic nerve atrophy. Auricular acupuncture has found application in the fight against smoking and excess weight.

Acupuncture for osteochondrosis

Now let's look at how classical corporal acupuncture is used to treat certain diseases. Let's start with osteochondrosis, which causes pain to many people.

In case of osteochondrosis of the spinal vertebrae, needles are placed in points VG26 (ren-zhong, located under the nasal septum), VG9 (zhi-yang, located at the level of the shoulder blades, between the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebrae), IG3 (hou-xi, located on the hand, in the depression behind the metacarpophalangeal joint of the little finger), V16 (du-shu, located on the back - at a distance of about 5.5 cm from the level between the spinous processes of the 6th and 7th thoracic vertebrae), V18 (gan-shu, located on the back, 5.5 cm from the gap between the 9th and 10th thoracic vertebrae), V43 (gao-huang, located on the back, at a distance of 11 cm from the gap between the 5th and 6th thoracic vertebrae), V51 (huang-men, located on lumbar region, 11 cm from the distance between the first two lumbar vertebrae), VB39 (xuan-zhong - 11 cm above the center of the outer surface of the ankle).

With osteochondrosis in the neck area, the following points are activated: IG3 (hou-xi - on the hand, in the depression behind the metacarpophalangeal joint of the little finger), V10 (tian-zhu, on the occipital border of hair growth), VB20 (feng-chi - 3.7 cm above the posterior border of hair growth, in the fossa of the trapezius muscle), VG16 (feng-fu, located in the depression between the upper ends of the trapezius and sternoclavicular muscles), TR2 (e-men, located on the hand, in the depression between the metacarpophalangeal joints of the little finger and ring finger).

After a session of acupuncture, carried out according to all the rules, most patients feel a surge of drowsiness, so it is recommended to sleep for an hour or two after the procedure.

Acupuncture for spinal hernia

If you suffer from headaches, pain in the arm and shoulder, numbness in the fingers, blood pressure changes and dizziness, it could be a herniated disc in the cervical spine. If your legs and lower back hurt, you lose sensitivity in your toes and in the groin area, then the most likely diagnosis is a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. And when you inhale or turn your torso and there is pain in the heart area, pain is also felt between the shoulder blades, and numbness behind the breastbone, then you need to treat a herniated disc in the thoracic spine.

Acupuncture for spinal hernia involves acting on the following points: V12 (feng-men, on the midline of the back, between the 2nd and 3rd thoracic vertebrae), V43 (gao-huang, located on the back, 11 cm from the space between the 5th and 6th thoracic vertebrae), V46 (ge-guan, located on the back, 11 cm from the space between the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebrae), V62 (shen-mai, located 1.5 cm above the lower edge of the protrusion of the calcaneus, in the depression on the border of the plantar and dorsal surfaces of the foot), VG26 (ren-zhong, located just below the septum between the nostrils), PR19 (xiong-xiang, located in the third intercostal space, 22 cm from the midline of the chest), etc.

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Acupuncture for neuroses

In the process of reflex action on the body in the treatment of neurotic conditions accompanied by various mental and physical symptoms, along with conventional psychotherapy and taking appropriate medications, acupuncture is used for neuroses.

The doctor selects points for sedative or tonic corporal acupuncture depending on the specific symptoms. Thus, the points of the bladder meridian (V) located on the back are actively involved: the point at the level of the space between the 2nd and 3rd thoracic vertebrae, 5.5 cm from the midline of the back (V12, feng men), the point at the level of the space between the spinous processes of the 4th and 5th thoracic vertebrae, 5.5 cm to the side from the midline (V14, jue-yin-shu) and almost all the points of this energy channel located below: V15 (xin-shu), V17 (ge-shu), V18 (gan-shu) and V19 (dan-shu).

In addition, of the 9 points of the heart meridian (C), 3 points on each side are used for neuroses: point C3 (shao-hai, in the depression between the ulnar edge of the elbow fold and the middle epicondyle of the humerus); C4 (ling-dao, 5.5 cm above the wrist fold, on the radial side of the tendon) and C9 (shao-chun, on the radial side of the little finger on the hand, approximately 3 mm from the corner of the nail).

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Acupuncture for Asthma

Almost 40 biologically active points are activated during acupuncture for asthma: 10 points on the back (on both sides along the spine), 9 points on the chest (symmetrically equidistant from the middle of the sternum), 10 points on the head and in the neck area, the remaining points are on both arms. We will not list all the points, and will limit ourselves to naming the points that reflexologists use most often in the treatment of asthma. These are the points:

• VC21 (xuan-ji) - located on the midline of the chest, in the depression at the level of the articular notch of the first rib;
• VC22 (tian-tu) - is located in the center of the sternum, 0.7 cm above the upper edge of the jugular fossa;
• P7 (le-tsue) - is located on the front side of the forearm, slightly above the styloid process, 5.5 cm above the fold of the wrist joint;
• GI11 (qu-chi) - located in the middle between the radial end of the elbow fold and the lateral epicondyle (with the arm maximally bent at the elbow, this point will be at the end of the formed fold);
• GI4 (he-gu) - located on the back of the hand, between the first and second metacarpal bones;
• E12 (que-pen) - located in the middle of the supraclavicular fossa, at a distance of about 15 cm outward from the anterior midline of the sternum (on the edge of the mastoid muscle);
• VG14 (da-zhui) - is located between the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebrae;
• V13 (fei-shu) - located on the chest, 5.5 cm from the place under the process of the 3rd thoracic vertebra;
• V43 (gao-huang) - is located at a distance of 11 cm from the space between the spinous processes of the 4th and 5th thoracic vertebrae.

Acupuncture in the treatment of asthma is performed every day - three points per session, and during the following sessions the combination of points should change. The average duration of the course is a week. After the first and all subsequent courses of treatment, a 7-day break is taken. On average, you need to take at least three courses. According to various data, acupuncture for asthma gives a positive result in almost 70% of cases of its use.

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Acupuncture for stroke

Doctors' opinions on the appropriateness of using acupuncture for strokes differ dramatically. And although acupuncture works quite successfully in the complex therapy of musculoskeletal diseases, gastrointestinal pathologies and neuroses, many do not recognize the obvious effectiveness of this method for strokes - during the period of rehabilitation and restoration of lost functions.

According to the canons of Eastern medicine, a stroke is a "blow of the wind": the disease attacks a person and deals a crushing blow to his health. At the same time, the harmony of yin and yang in the body is disrupted, and the free circulation of qi in the paralyzed part of the body is blocked.

Among the active points that are affected during a stroke, it is worth noting:

• VC24 (Cheng-Jian) - located in the center of the chin-labial fold;
• VG3 (yao-yang-guan) - located between the spinous processes of the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae);
• VB14 (yang-bai) - located 3.7 cm above the middle of the eyebrow;
• VB29 (ju-liao) - is located at the top of the thigh, in the depression below the anterior iliac spine;
• VB31 (feng shi) - located on the buttock, behind the hip joint;
• R7 (fu-lu) - located 7.4 cm above the center of the ankle, at the junction of the gastrocnemius muscle and the Achilles tendon.

If the arm is partially or completely paralyzed, acupuncture for stroke uses active impact on the following points:

• TR5 (Wai-guan) - located on the dorsal surface of the forearm, 7.4 cm above the wrist joint fold);
• IG3 (hou-xi) - is located on the wrist, in the depression behind the metacarpophalangeal joint of the little finger;
• GI10 (shou-san-li) - located on the back (radial) side of the forearm, 7.4 cm below the elbow joint;
• GI11 (qu-chi) - is located midway between the lateral epicondyle and the radial end of the elbow fold;
• GI15 (jian-yu) - is located between the acromial process of the scapula and the greater tubercle of the humerus, in the place where a depression is formed when the arm is raised upward.

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Acupuncture for children

As already noted, doctors do not recommend the use of acupuncture for children under five years of age.

For children aged five and above, acupuncture can help with stuttering or enuresis. For example, in case of stuttering, a reflexologist places needles in the depression formed by the lower edge of the zygomatic arch and the condylar process of the mandible (point E7, xia-guan), and also slightly higher - at the upper edge of the zygomatic arch (point VB3, shang-guan); on the edge of the upper lip, where the lower edge of the nasolabial fold passes into the lip (point VG27, dui-duan).

The acupuncture procedure is also carried out on the active points of the back: 5.5 cm from the place under the process of the 3rd thoracic vertebra (point V13, fei-shu) or at the same distance from the place under the spinous process of the 3rd lumbar vertebra (point V23, shen-shu).

Acupuncture is used to treat children with cerebral palsy, which helps to overcome muscle spasticity and combat motor function disorders. Treatment for cerebral palsy is carried out by placing needles (sedative) in the following points:

• GI4 (he-gu) - on the back of the hand, between the first and second metacarpal bones);
• GI10 (shou-san-li) - on the back of the forearm on the radial side, 15 cm below the elbow joint);
• GI11 (qu-chi) - midway between the lateral epicondyle and the radial end of the elbow fold);
• E36 (zu-san-li) - on the anterior surface of the leg, 11 cm below the upper edge of the lateral condyle of the tibia, on the kneecap), etc.

During further acupuncture therapy for cerebral palsy, a tonic effect is performed (quick insertion and removal of the needle) on active points located on the upper and lower extremities, but no more than five points per session.

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Acupuncture for smoking cessation

According to practicing reflexologists, acupuncture for smoking "destroys the smoker's reflexes" in just a few sessions. They explain the treatment of nicotine addiction by the fact that "stimulation of acupuncture points removes nicotine from the general metabolism"...

For this purpose, auricular acupuncture is most often used, that is, the insertion of needles into the auricle. Two special needles (like miniature pushpins) are injected into the active points of the ear for a period of 3-4 to 10 days. The pushpins are sealed with adhesive tape and are not noticeable to others. After the needles are removed, a break is maintained - from three days to a week, and then a session of auricular acupuncture is performed again.

According to another method, getting rid of the bad habit is carried out in a “one-time” way, when needles are inserted into the auricle and into some points on the body: GI5 (yan-xi - at the level of the fold of the wrist joint on the radial side), P7 (le-que - on the front side of the forearm, slightly above the styloid process, 5.5 cm above the fold of the wrist joint) and IG3 (hou-xi - on the hand, in the depression behind the metacarpophalangeal joint of the little finger). After the 25-30-minute session is completed, the person should quit smoking.

At the same time, most more sensible doctors say that after a couple of sessions the number of cigarettes smoked during the day is reduced by half, and only after 6-7 procedures about two thirds of heavy smokers quit smoking.

However, there is another opinion: acupuncture is not able to overcome psychological dependence on nicotine for smoking; it can only help alleviate withdrawal symptoms in those who have set a goal to quit smoking.

Acupuncture for Alcoholism

The problem of getting rid of mental and physical dependence on alcohol, according to psychologists, can be solved only if the chronic alcoholic consciously wants to give up drinking. After all, long-term alcohol abuse not only destroys a person's physical health, but also leads to pathological changes in his psyche. It is difficult to say how effective acupuncture is for alcoholism, since none of the "non-traditional" methods of treating alcoholics has been subjected to serious clinical research.

Acupuncture for alcoholism involves placing needles in specific active points located on the back, chest, head, upper and lower extremities.

For example, on the back, acupuncture is performed at a point located under the spinous process of the 5th thoracic vertebra (VG11, shen-dao). On the chest, three points are activated, including point VC17 (tan-zhong), which is located in the middle of the distance between the nipples.

On the head, specialists work with several points: VB7 (qu-bin, located on the temple, straight up from the back edge of the hairline), VB8 (shuai-gu, located 5.5 cm above the top of the auricle), VB20 (feng-chi, located under the occipital bone, in the depression at the outer edge of the trapezius muscle). Points of the powerful posterior median meridian, which is involved in the treatment of many chronic pathologies, are also activated. These are points VG18 (qiang-jian - on the midline of the head, 9.3 cm above the back border of hair growth), VG20 (bai-hui - on the midline of the head, 18.5 cm from the front border of hair growth), VG23 (shang-xing - on the midline of the head, 3.7 cm above the front border of hair growth), etc.

Acupuncture for infertility

In medieval Chinese medicine, a woman's reproductive function was associated with two uterine "vessels" - chun-mai and ren-mai (uterus and ovaries), and a woman with a disruption in their proper functioning was considered infertile.

There are seven causes of this pathology: “cold in the uterus” (deficiency of yang, disruption of qi circulation in the blood); lack of blood (with profuse bleeding and lack of qi energy in the spleen); deficiency in the kidneys (with early marriages, menstrual irregularities or stormy sex life); infertility due to obesity (“phlegm blockages”, that is, metabolic disorders due to overload of the spleen); stagnation of liver qi (which is caused by anger, irritability and stress, which disrupt the menstrual cycle and cause pain in the lower abdomen); “heat in the blood” (with excess yang and lack of yin, passion for spicy food and alcohol abuse); “stagnation of blood” (with pathologies of the genital organs).

Acupuncture for infertility involves placing needles in points on the ears, limbs, abdomen and sometimes the lower back. It necessarily uses (with stimulation or sedation) the following active points: VC4 (guan-yuan - on the midline of the abdomen, 11 cm below the navel); R15 (zhong-zhu - 3.7 cm below the navel and 1.8 cm from the midline of the abdomen); R14 (si-man - 7.4 cm below the navel, under point R15).

And in case of infertility due to hormonal imbalance, point F11 (yin-lian) is activated, located 7.4 cm below the upper edge of the pubic bone and 9 cm to the side from the midline of the abdomen.

In 2006-2007, under the auspices of the American National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), studies were conducted in which 1,366 infertile women in the United States, Germany, Australia and Denmark took part. After IVF (in vitro fertilization), half of them underwent acupuncture sessions. As a result, with an average chance of getting pregnant after IVF of 35%, the use of acupuncture in 65% of cases increases the possibility of conception to almost 45%. However, it is impossible to interpret the results of the studies as a statement of the unconditional benefit of acupuncture for infertility. After all, as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) believes, acupuncture has no effect on the frequency of pregnancy and, apparently, this is "just a happy accident."

Acupuncture during pregnancy

One of the most controversial issues is the use of acupuncture during pregnancy. Among the studies of this problem, only the observation of Australian doctors is noted, who 12 years ago conducted acupuncture sessions for more than 600 pregnant women with a gestation period of 14 weeks. And these sessions helped women feel better during toxicosis.

The main rule of acupuncture during pregnancy: under no circumstances should needles be placed in points located in the abdomen, lower back and sacrum. For possible improvement of well-being in case of vomiting of pregnant women in the early stages, it is possible to apply the effect on points located on the hands - on the meridian of the pericardium (MC):

• point MC3 (qu-jie) is located in the middle of the inner side of the elbow;
• point MC6 (nei-guan) is located 7.4 cm above the central wrist crease, between the tendons of the palmar muscle and the radial flexor of the wrist;
• Point MC7 (da-ling) is located in the middle of the wrist crease, in the depression between the tendons of the palmar muscle and the radial flexor of the wrist.

Acupuncture for weight loss

Acupuncture for weight loss in the classical version divides obesity into types: with a deficiency in the spleen, with “stomach fire with stagnation of qi in the spleen”, with “stagnation of qi in the liver”, with “deficiency of yang in the spleen and kidneys”, with “stagnation of phlegm and blood” and with “impaired functions of the vessels of chun-mai and ren-mai” (that is, due to hormonal imbalance).

In the latter case, women have excess fat deposits (soft and loose) concentrated mainly on the stomach and buttocks. At the same time, such patients do not have a "brutal appetite", but often have lower back pain, weakness in the legs, pain during menstruation and frequent urge to urinate, although there are no problems with stool. Will the doctor you contacted about getting rid of extra pounds ask you about such "little things"? If he asks, then you have come to the "right doctor"...

Here is one of several options for acupuncture for weight loss that may be offered by a specialist in this field.

Classical corporal acupuncture is performed by placing needles on the following active points:

• P7 (le-que) - located on the front side of the forearm, slightly above the styloid process, 5.5 cm above the fold of the wrist joint;
• E40 (feng long) - located at the bottom of the leg, in the middle, between the line of junction of the femur and tibia (at the level of the popliteal fold, 29.5 cm above the center of the lateral ankle);
• E25 (Tian Shu) - is located at the level of the navel, 7.4 cm to the side from the midline of the abdomen;
• MC6 (nei-guan) - located between the tendons on the inner surface of the hand, 7.4 cm above the proximal wrist crease (along an imaginary line drawn from the middle finger of the hand);
• VC9 (Shui Fen) – located on the midline of the abdomen, 3.7 cm above the navel;
• RP6 (san-yin-jiao) – is located behind the tibia, 11 cm above the center of the medial malleolus. This point is very important, as it contains the node of three meridians at once – kidneys (R), liver (F), pancreas and spleen (RP).

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Facial acupuncture

Facial acupuncture is performed at “rejuvenation points”, which experts classify as the following key points:

• the jia-che point (E6 and E7) is located in the depression in front and above the angle of the lower jaw;
• the di-tsang point (E4) is located 1 cm from the corner of the mouth, on a vertical line from the pupil;
• the cuan-zhu point (V2) is located 1 cm above the beginning of the eyebrow;
• the he-gu point (G14) is located on the back of the palm - in the hollow between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones;

By the way, there are rumors that American singers Madonna and Cher are big fans of facial acupuncture. Instead of Botox injections, they have acupuncture rejuvenation sessions almost every week.

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Side effects of acupuncture

Acupuncture procedures are considered painless, but at the site of the needle injection, patients may feel not only pain, but also some numbness. This is the result of irritation of the nerve endings, which, as experts assure, do not pose a danger.

What should really worry those who attend acupuncture sessions is the observance of aseptic and antiseptic rules. It should be borne in mind that today the reuse of needles is unacceptable.

In addition, possible side effects of acupuncture include: bleeding hematoma (if a blood vessel is damaged at the injection site), aches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood pressure.

Auricular acupuncture may cause side effects such as pain in the auricle, inflammation of the cartilage (at the point where the needle is inserted), numbness of the face, and headache.

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Price of acupuncture

According to medical institutions that practice this method of treatment, the price of acupuncture depends on several factors. First of all, this is the cost of acupuncture needles and other consumables, as well as the level of qualification of the reflexologist. Patients - depending on the location of the medical institution - should focus on the price range from 200-300 UAH per session of acupuncture.

Reviews of acupuncture

It is clear that reviews of acupuncture are completely different, since even the same disease in different people can proceed according to an “individual scenario”. And the qualifications of the specialist conducting the treatment, alas, do not always deserve laudatory reviews... And patients note that Chinese acupuncture is especially helpful in the treatment of acute and chronic pain, as well as neuromuscular dysfunction, which often occurs after injuries.

The main thing that reviews of acupuncture make you think about is that in order for the treatment to bring tangible benefits to the patient, it is necessary to contact experienced and truly professionally trained acupuncturists who have not only the appropriate certificates, but also deep knowledge in this area.

In conclusion, let us return to the already mentioned famous ancient healer Sun Simiao, who himself managed to live exactly 101 years. Obviously, his longevity was facilitated by his lifestyle, which Simiao described as the basis for maintaining health: a person “should not walk, stand, sit, lie, watch and listen for a long time”, “should not be forced to eat, drink alcohol and lift weights”, and also “should not grieve, get angry, worry and be overly zealous in what you want”... And, of course, it is necessary to save your vital energy, the correct distribution of which is facilitated by time-tested acupuncture.