Acupuncture is an important procedure to know about because it is one of the most effective and popular forms of alternative medicine. I chose acupuncture because I was interested in the subject, and I did not know much about its history or procedure.
             Acupuncture is a treatment in which special needles are inserted into points just under the skin to help correct and rebalance the flow of energy through the body, and to balance the yin and the yang forces within your body. The procedure of acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles made of metals such as gold or stainless steel. They may be left in your body from a couple of minutes up to a couple of days, depending on the decision of the acupuncturist. The needles may be twirled, heated, or attached to a mild electrical current. They are strategically placed on points of the meridian, or network of energy vessels that carry and transport the body's energy.
             There are other types of acupuncture, these include Moxibustion and Acupressure. Moxibustion is the burning of herbs at or near certain sites of the body. Acupressure is putting pressure on points of the meridian instead of using needles. Both of these different methods have the same goal of acupuncture o rebalance the flow of energy through the body. Acupuncture can be used for both acute and chronic illness, but there are some instances when western medicine is a better alternative. These instances include life threatening infection, severe trauma, or the need for surgical procedures, such as open-heart surgery. However, acupuncture still may be used in these instances to help the patient recover from their surgery. Nausea has proved to be very responsive to acupuncture along with helping to improve the functioning of the immune system in AIDS patients. Acupuncture is important because it is an alternative to western medicine and has few to no side effects.
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