Acupuncture Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Primarily known as a disorder of the affluent West, obsessive compulsive disorder is categorized as an anxiety disorder. It is characterized by recurrences of unreasonable compulsions. In a classic obsessive compulsive disorder case, the patient suffers from compulsions that consume a lot of time. They are usually unreasonable but the non fulfillment of the same causes much distress or sometimes even impairment to the patient.
The incidence of obsessive compulsive disorder is about fifteen times more in the US and the UK than in Asia. China especially boasts of a significantly low incidence of obsessive compulsive disorder. It is believed that the many ancient Chinese healing techniques help maintain such a high quality of health and well being that the Chinese stay away from most lifestyle diseases and even many of the psychological ones.
A person suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder can often have ideas, imagination, thoughts and even impulses that are considered inappropriate in many cultures. The individual however is usually not able to recognize the inappropriateness of their thoughts and actions. In some cases, the patient may realize how absurd their thoughts are but they are unable to deviate in even the slightest manner.
Fear of contamination, repeated doubts and suspicions, even obsessive sexual imageries are some common obsessions that people tend to suffer from. Though the individual does try to suppress some of these impulses, in a long term scenario suppression of such impulses becomes impossible. The more these urges and impulses are suppressed, the more anxiety and stress it creates.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Facts
Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese technique, has been successfully used to reduce symptoms and anxiety related to Acupuncture. Organs and parts of body which can help reduce the effects of the disorder have been identified and acupuncture works to relieve the energies pent up in several parts of our body to induce healing.
Nourishment of the kidneys, for this particular purpose has been advised. The ultimate aim of this exercise is to connect the patient to one of the five elements – water. The water channels therefore are picked first to be worked upon. The second point is the heart. The disturbed state of the heart too can induce the anxiety related to obsessive compulsion. The fire channels or the blood vessels that carry blood and oxygen and help create heat in the body due to the oxidation of nutrients are treated next.
The liver, in which stagnation could occur due to the accumulation of bile juices, gets the attention after the fire channels. Healthy functioning of liver is very much essential for the healthy flow of chi throughout the body. The liver channels or the wood channels are treated for those patients who haven’t been able to find and unite with their spirit.
Acupuncture Trying to Conceive
Today because of their lifestyle, more and more women are deferring childbirth for later. Statistically, the number of women who are now delivering babies in their late thirties and early forties has gone up drastically. A woman’s fertility decreases as her age advances and because of this women can have lots of problem delivering. Infertility is also on the rise because of the change in women’s lifestyles.
Traditionally, it has been seen that the underlying factor in a couple’s inability to produce a child is related to the quality of the woman’s egg. Even though sperm count of the male is also a factor, artificial insemination and other alternative techniques can be utilized to induce pregnancy. However if the woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked or ruptured or if proper ovulation is not happening, there are absolutely no chances of pregnancy.
However, today depending on an individual case, the fertility doctor can recommend different drugs that help stimulate the reproductive system. There is also the possibility of an intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization. However, today as an alternative therapy to improve a woman’s reproductive system, acupuncture is increasingly gaining popularity.
Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese technique in which small needles are inserted in the skin of the recipient, stimulates various energy points all over the body. These energy points are believed to be the one central point of contact with the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional faculties, bringing a unique balance into our life. Since ages, acupuncture has been used to treat many ailments. Commonly used for migraines, back, neck and shoulders pain, today acupuncture has been successfully used to remedy infertility.
In this technique, the needles are placed strategically to improve the blood flow to the reproductive organs. The energy flow is directed towards the reproductive system to improve its health. Acupuncture is used as an alternatively therapy and is paired with medical treatment to get the maximum benefit.
Acupuncture for IVF
For those who are trying methods like IVF or other treatments for increasing fertility, it is advisable to also try acupuncture because it is a relatively painless treatment. Whereas other treatments may cost a fortune, with a single IVF cycle costing anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000, acupuncture remains one of the most inexpensive treatments for improving fertility and that is one of the reasons that many women are trying it out. With increasing fertility and improving chances of conception, the acupuncture treatment also helps reduce stress and promote overall well being and good health.
Acupuncture Quit Smoking
Acupuncture is a Chinese Therapeutic Technique, which involves the insertion of fine needles into certain points called acupuncture points. Acupuncture points occur along the meridian pathway. The human body consists of twelve meridians in totality. As per the advocates of this traditional Chinese medical treatment, there flows an invisible form of energy called Qi along the meridians in the body.
Acupuncture technique has been found to have therapeutic effects and as such, it is employed to cure a variety of ailments like migraine, bowel disorders, and stress. Also, the acupuncture therapy may be unconventionally employed for certain problems like smoking and drinking.
Acupuncture technique may be instrumental in helping you quit smoking. Acupuncture treatment for the cessation of smoking is best suited for those nicotine addicts, who cannot take any other smoking cessation products on account of allergies or medical conditions. Acupuncture treatment for smoking lessens the intensity of withdrawal symptoms of smoking cessation, thereby reducing the craving for cigarettes. As a part of this technique for smoking cessation, acupuncture needles are inserted at various points on body as well as on the ears.
Quit Smoking Treatment
The acupuncture treatment for smoking cessation includes a customized or personalized treatment for the smokers. The first step to acupuncture smoking cessation treatment involves the filling of a questionnaire by the individual. This questionnaire involves questions on the person’s smoking history and behaviors and also his/her health background.
The first session of the treatment involves a detailed discussion of these questions with the respective acupuncturist, a physical check up including blood pressure and lung exam, and the methods from Traditional Chinese Medicine like observations of the tongue and taking the pulse rate. All these components for the sessions are meant to design a unique acupuncture treatment plan for individuals, based on their unique smoking patterns and state of health. No two individuals can have same acupuncture treatment.
The initial acupuncture treatment sessions serves as a clue to the acupuncturist on the patients’ specific triggers for smoking and ways to avoid them. This session doesn’t involve any acupuncture therapy and it is a step that takes you towards being a non smoker.
After the initial session, there are four subsequent sessions that involve the usage of acupuncture therapy. These four sessions are spread over two weeks with two sessions per week. Sometimes, the smokers may face difficulty undergoing these acupuncture sessions and as such, the schedule of the treatment may be modified as per the requirement of the individuals. Acupuncturists may employ certain behavioral treatment along with acupuncture for the best results.
Acupuncture Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The Chinese medicine relies very heavily on Chi, or the life energy that flows through our bodies. According to acupuncture, it is the imbalance of chi in our body that causes various disorders. The physical, mental and even emotional symptoms of a person are all related to the flow of chi through the body.
If emotions are withheld in the body for a long period of time, they can cause illness. Also if the body suffers from trauma, it could result in illness. Sometimes, a trauma may cause a dysfunction in the flow of this energy because of which emotional symptoms might be seen.
Each organ is associated with an emotion. Excessive and prolonged anger for example, can have direct effects on the organ that it is associated with –the liver. Also, if the liver has a problem, it will leave you feeling angry constantly. Each emotion and each organ has a different effect on the flow of chi. The chi flow can rise and fall in accordance with the kind of emotion that we feel.
When you are angry you can feel a tightening in the shoulders and the neck area. This is because the flow of chi is raised as a result of the anger. Also when you upset or scared, you have a sinking feeling. This happens because the feelings of fear cause the chi to fall down to the feet.
Therapy Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Acupuncture can be effectively used to regulate the chi and keep the body healthy. It is also effective for the treatment of various anxiety disorders. It helps redirect the life energy to gain a balanced flow. It releases the tensions trapped in the muscles of the body, leaving you feeling relaxed and anxiety free. Acupuncture takes care of stress and all the ailments related to stress. It corrects the energetic spheres which direct the flow of chi to increase the flow of blood and nerve impulses. This increased flow, when passes over the diseased or stressed organs, rejuvenates them.
A recent study conducted has found out that acupuncture when given in the right manner to patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, provides treatment effects very similar to those of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The effects of the treatment are also long-lasting and can be seen for months after the therapy has been given. This long sustenance of the therapy helps the patient recover fully from the disorder and prevents a relapse or a recurrence.
