What is Acupuncture?
Traditional acupuncture is a healthcare system based on ancient principles which go back nearly two thousand years and places chief emphasis on the energic equilibrium of the body. Acupuncture considers pain and illness as signs that the body is out of balance and aims to restore the body to equilibrium. Acupuncturists are trained to use subtle diagnostic techniques that have been developed and refined for centuries. Symptoms of disease are seen in relation to each other and each patient is unique, therefore two people with the same western diagnosis may well receive different acupuncture treatments.
As acupuncturists we believe that disease manifests when the body’s chi or vital energy cannot flow freely due to emotional stress, poor nutrition, injury heredity or infection. Fine needles are inserted at specific well maped acupuncture points on the body to re-establish the free flow of energy. This activates and restores the body’s natural healing mechanism.
Clinical research shows that traditional acupuncture safely treats a wide range of common health problems.
Many people come for acupuncture for help with specific conditions and some because they feel unwell but have no obvious diagnosis. Others attend because they find that acupuncture simply enhances their feeling of wellbeing.
Peter Smith has worked as a volunteer in India, Gaza and the West Bank, where the images on the right were taken.
