Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) describes pathways of energy flow through the body, called Meridians (Jing Luo), which carry nourishment and information to all tissues and organs. According to the Classical Chinese texts, disease occurs when the normal flow of the life force (Qi) is disrupted.
Known as “Meridian Qi” in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the life force or vital energy circulates in the special channels of the body (Meridians or Jing Luo). It is believed that smooth energy circulation constitutes a crucial part of well-being, whereas stagnant energy leads to imbalance and poor health. Acupuncture facilitates energy flow and thus enables to return good health.
During acupuncture treatment, Meridian points are selected according to a patient’s condition, and acupuncture needles (fine, thin and solid ones NOT syringes which alarm some people) are used to activate meridian energy flow.
Acupuncture is mainly believed to be good for pain related problems (muscular and rheumatic diseases) and also considered to be useful for those experiencing mental stress, insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome and other conditions such as digestion disorders, allergies, sinusitis and eczema.
Western medical research has also confirmed that acupuncture promotes the production of natural healing substances (endorphins)ⅰ to relieve pain, regulate nerve transmissionⅱ, enhance the immune systemⅲ, balance hormones and blood flowⅳ and release natural anti-inflammatoriesⅴ.
For more information about acupuncture, please see the brochure issued by NZRA (.pdf, 1.27M)
Acupuncture is also great for people who use computers for long hours causing pain and stiffness in muscles and joints (knows as RSI or OOS). The treating effect is immediate and long lasting.
Only disposable needles are used in our clinic and an acupuncture device is also used to increase the effectiveness of treatment.
For people who are needle-phobic, we recommend Vital Energy Therapy or Therapeutic Massage.
Acupuncture Evidence information sheet by AACMA: Download Here
Acupuncture (with disposable needles only) is believed to be good for:
Muscular-skeleton Injuries, Arthritis, Sciatica;
Neck, shoulder, back, lower back and leg pain; Tennis elbow
Various internal medical problems;
Stress related syndrome (Headache, migraine etc.);
Chronic fatigue syndrome;
Common cold;
Ear acupuncture to help stop smoking
Review And Analysis On Reports From Controlled Clinical Trials
World Health Organization (WHO)
Diseases and disorders that can be treated with acupuncture
The diseases or disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials reported in the recent literature can be classified into four categories as shown below.
1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved—through controlled trials—to be an effective treatment:
Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Dysentery, acute bacillary
Dysmenorrhoea, primary
Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
Headache
Hypertension, essential
Hypotension, primary
Induction of labour
Knee pain
Leukopenia
Low back pain
Malposition of fetus, correction of
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
Periarthritis of shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis elbow
2. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed:
Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
Acne vulgaris
Alcohol dependence and detoxification
Bell’s palsy
Bronchial asthma
Cancer pain
Cardiac neurosis
Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
Cholelithiasis
Competition stress syndrome
Craniocerebral injury, closed
Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
Earache
Epidemic haemorrhagic fever
Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)
Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection
Female infertility
Facial spasm
Female urethral syndrome
Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
Gastrokinetic disturbance
Gouty arthritis
Hepatitis B virus carrier status
Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)
Hyperlipaemia
Hypo-ovarianism
Insomnia
Labour pain
Lactation, deficiency
Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
Ménière disease
Neuralgia, post-herpetic
Neurodermatitis
Obesity
Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence
Osteoarthritis
Pain due to endoscopic examination
Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans
Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein–Leventhal syndrome)
Postextubation in children
Postoperative convalescence
Premenstrual syndrome
Prostatitis, chronic
Pruritus
Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome
Raynaud syndrome, primary
Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Retention of urine, traumatic
Schizophrenia
Sialism, drug-induced
Sjögren syndrome
Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
Spine pain, acute
Stiff neck
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
Tietze syndrome
Tobacco dependence
Tourette syndrome
Ulcerative colitis, chronic
Urolithiasis
Vascular dementia
Whooping cough (pertussis)
3. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult:
Chloasma
Choroidopathy, central serous
Colour blindness
Deafness
Hypophrenia
Irritable colon syndrome
Neuropathic bladder in spinal cord injury
Pulmonary heart disease, chronic
Small airway obstruction
4. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment:
Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Coma
Convulsions in infants
Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris)
Diarrhoea in infants and young children
Encephalitis, viral, in children, late stage
Paralysis, progressive bulbar and pseudobulbar