Continuing the Benefits of Acupuncture at Home
Posted on: 8 September 2016
Acupuncturists can help to provide a lot of different health benefits to their patients, but the aid doesn't have to stop once you leave the acupuncturist's office. Read on to learn about how acupuncture works and how you can continue reaping those benefits at home after a treatment.
The Basics of Acupuncture
The theory of acupuncture revolves around qi, or energy, and the meridians in the body that it flows through. Traditional Chinese medicine views meridians as energy pathways that are a lot like veins and arteries. When these meridians become clogged or stagnant, the energy has difficulty moving through and reaching its destination, where it's needed.
Acupuncture helps to break up these blockages and redirect energy to locations where you need it by placing the needles into points along the meridian in question.
Acupressure
Acupuncture points can be used as acupressure points just as easily at home. Talk to your acupuncturist about which points are the most important for you to stimulate at home, and ask them to show you the appropriate amount of pressure. Generally, you should only use enough pressure so that you can feel it, but you certainly don't need to press so hard that it hurts. Gently stimulate the points your acupuncturist shows you a few times per day to keep encouraging the qi to flow.
Moxa
Another treatment you can do at home is moxa, or moxibustion. Moxibustion is the use of a burning stick of mugwort held over acupuncture points to stimulate them. The moxa is held far enough away from your skin that it doesn't hurt; it just feels like a warm, comforting sensation. Moxa isn't appropriate for all acupuncture points, and if your body has too much heat, this treatment might not work for you. Talk to your acupuncturist to see if moxa is a good choice for your condition.
Ear Seeds
The last option that you can ask your acupuncturist to help you with is ear seeds. Ear seeds are small seed pellets that are adhered to your ears on certain acupuncture points. Like the rest of your body, these points follow meridians, so they can help you to tackle health problems anywhere on your body.
Once the ear seeds are applied by your acupuncturist, all you need to do is gently squeeze them against your ear a few times per day. This will stimulate the acupuncture point and provide benefits similar to those of the acupuncture itself.
Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses more than just acupuncture, and these three therapies can help you to continue experiencing health benefits away from the acupuncturist's office. Talk to your acupuncturist about these three methods and find out which ones are right for you.
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