By Barbara Jones


Pain management and stress relief are two growing segments of medicine in America today. People want to escape chronic conditions and protect their quality of life - and many want to achieve their goals without dependence on pharmaceutical drugs or the surgeon's knife. One of the many kinds of alternative medicine offered in clinics and in private practices around the nation, acupuncture Boca Raton is widely used.

Boca Raton is a wealthy area of Southern Florida. People with comfortable incomes are more likely to try alternative methods of healing. They also have the luxury of being able to afford stress relieving techniques such as massage and acupuncture.

You may not consider stress to be a disorder, but continued high levels contribute to emotional and mental problems, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and sleep disruption. Tension is also a factor in neck, shoulder, and back pain. Acupuncture, often combined with the use of traditional Chinese herbs, massage, and other stress reduction methods, has been successfully tried by millions since it became popular in the late 1970s.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) makes regular use of acupuncture is its total body healing program. You may find a Japanese, Korean, or other ethnic variation. Most practitioners in the US are trained in the TCM methodology. Training is important, not only for technical skills but also for understanding the need for sterility of the needles employed in the therapy. Infection from dirty needles is the most common negative side effect, but this is rare.

Proper training is essential, since the science of using needles to stimulate precise points to achieve the desired effect is the result of centuries of observation. Practitioners also learn proper safety procedures. The thin, solid metal needles should be disposable and only used for one treatment. Because the needles actually pierce the skin, cleanliness is essential.

The needle is used to stimulate a particular 'point' or area of the body. The therapy is based on an idea of a 'life force' or energy flow that travels through the body in definite pathways. This idea is not so different from our understanding of the circulatory systems of the body. These pathways can become blocked or distorted, and illness, pain, or other disorders can result. Needles are a scary idea, but the treatments are generally completely painless.

Acupuncture 'points' and pathways called meridians are stimulated to increase the flow of energy. If energy flow is sluggish or blocked, muscle pain and weakness may result. Although many western sceptics deny any real benefit of this ancient healing technique, thousands of people have found relief for various ills and swear to improvement. The method is widely used to counter the nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy treatments. Chronic lower back pain is another condition that is often treated with acupuncture.

Most conditions can be treated, in fact. In Spring, many people like to visit their acupuncturist for a 'tune up' that banishes the winter doldrums and releases energy for a more active lifestyle. Dental pain after surgery often responds well to the acupuncturist's needle. Migraine sufferers may find relief in both frequency and severity of headaches.




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