Monday, June 25, 2007

Acupuncture Treatment Stands the Test of Time

The acupuncture school is part of the oriental medicine, which is, along with the western medicine, the most important medicine school in the world. The term derives from the Latin acus, which means needle, and pungo(punctura), which means to puncture.Acupuncture is actually an effective method of diagnosing, preventing and treatment all kinds of illnesses with the help of special metal needles which are inserted into the patient's body. The needles are inserted in special locations which are called acupuncture points. Uninitiated people may already have a nasty nagging sensation when thinking about all this but the truth is that an acupuncture specialist will make each insertion no more painful than a mosquito bite. The origin of acupuncture dates back from antiquity, when it is said that Chinese warriors found out that getting hit by an arrow in a specific part of the body helped another part of the body recover from previous injuries. Although it has a long history, acupuncture has not had an easy ride all the way. Controversies existed along the way, but it was its fascination and effectiveness that kept it alive. Entire libraries of books have been written, books which define over 600 acupuncture points. However, in the 19th century, the acupuncture school fell victim to the western trained Chinese doctors. Only folk medicine kept it alive, although it was forbidden in hospitals all over China.However, in the 20th century, in 1949 to be more specific, Chairman Mao worked at rehabilitating traditional Chinese medicine and placing it into a modern context. At that time, there were about 70.000 practitioners of modern medicine and about 500.000 traditional doctors. Nowadays, it's estimated that about 90% of China's illnesses are taken care of (at least partially) with the help of acupuncture.For each particular acupuncture point, there are observations which account for thousands of years of experience. There are many dedicated Chinese doctors who devoted their lives into the study of a single acupuncture point, and who have passed on their knowledge to their students. So in the 20th century, the whole acupuncture science was researched again under Chairman Mao's insistence. The entire system was put in a scientific and logical manner, and thus modern acupuncture was born. It combines elements of traditional Chinese medicine with the modern western approach. This has not been a fortunate combination all the way though, as there are many differences in the two approaches. As the acupuncture medicine states, human body is filled with life energy, which circulates through the body, by means of invisible pathways which all called meridians. This can be compared to the system of aircraft routes, which is invisible in the sky, but it exists nonetheless. Each meridian is associated with a vital organ, such as the heart, kidney, lungs, etc. There are also other basic differences between the two medicine schools, but one thing is clear though: acupuncture has been around for thousand of years, and it couldn't have been without effectiveness. That's why the acupuncture school is still an important part of oriental medicine.Train professionally at acupuncture school.http://www.acupunctureschoolinfo.comEarn an advanced degree at homehttp://www.onlinecollegelink.com

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Arthritis Pain Relief - You Can Get Rid Of Your Arthritis Pain Naturally

A few years ago I accidentally discovered how to rid myself of arthritis pain,naturally. I got rid of my arthritis and arthritis pain forever by changing mydiet. Unlike some other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis,osteoarthritis is not systemic; it does not spread through the entire body.Arthritis concentrates in one or several joints where deterioration occurs.Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis.The synovium is a membrane that surrounds the whole joint; it's filled withsynovial fluid, a lubricating liquid that supplies nutrients and oxygen to thecartilage. Cartilage contains a high percentage of water, but it decreases withage. Joints are designed for normal and painless movement and are primarilysupplied by the synovium and cartilage.As chondrocytes (the cells that make up cartilage) age, they lose their abilityto make repairs and produce more cartilage; this process may play an importantrole in the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Injuries sometimescan be the start in the arthritic disease process; osteoarthritis can developyears later even after a single traumatic injury to a joint or near a joint.An inflammatory response causes cytokines, to gather in injured areas and causeinflammation and damage to body tissue and cells; it's known to play a role inrheumatoid arthritis and other muscle and joint problems associated withautoimmune diseases.If you really want to get rid of your arthritis pain forever it may take aradical change in your diet and an ongoing commitment. One natural treatmentmethod involves avoiding all inflammatory foods. Try massaging your fingers orother affected joints with coconut oil twice a day.Keep in mind, if you take a joint supplement it should help do three things --build cartilage, relieve everyday joint pain, and enhance your flexibility andmovement. Many have told me that going off dairy products and gluten containingfoods relieved their arthritis pain entirely. Some people swear by glucosamineand/or chondroitin and others say it didn't help at all.An acidic diet, that is any foods not alive, is considered to be inflammatory tothe joints. For snacks, choose raw nuts without salt instead of lifeless roastednuts. Natural treatment for arthritis is usually a better choice because it'snon-invasive to the body. Many arthritis sufferers have changed their diets andnoticed significant or total improvement.To be on the safe side always seek your doctor's advice before starting orchanging your exercise program. Exercise in a heated pool; it will help reducethe pressure on your joints and the heat will help you loosen those joints. Yourbody has 147 joints in motion every day. Even the lightest exercise can go along way to maintaining your joint mobility and overall health.If you have pain and swelling in your fingers, try squeezing Thera-putty madefor this purpose or exercising with two Chinese chime balls. Fight arthritisthrough proper exercise! Try to keep painful joint areas in motion, even in alimited manner.If you're going to go the conventional treatment route and take medications, askyour pharmacist for drug inserts so you can read up on the drugs and understandany side effects or adverse reactions, before taking them. Be aware that the useof NSAIDs or Cox-2 inhibitors do not halt the progress of osteoarthritis and mayeven hasten the onset. Once you become more informed about arthritis you'll beable to plan an arthritis treatment program, natural or conventional or acombination of both.Changing your diet to predominately fruits and raw veggies, like I did, can turnyour arthritis pain around almost overnight. More and more doctors areinvestigating the benefits of alternative therapies and most don't object topatients trying them. One should not only search for relief of arthritis painbut work on preventing it.For more information on arthritis pain relief and arthritis treatments go toHelen Hecker R.N.'s http://www.FastArthritisPainRelief.comspecializing in arthritis pain relief with tips, advice and resources includinginformation on arthritis diets and natural arthritis treatments