Simple Health Cures

   Acupuncture points used for treatment may or may not be in the same body region as the symptom. The traditional Chinese medicinal theory is that the selection of these points is based on the fact that they stimulate the meridian system and bring relief to ailments by rebalancing the yin and yang in our body and regulating the flow of chi.

   Body acupuncture points are located by using a unit of measure called the “cun”.

  This is located in accordance with the proportional distances from various landmarks on the body. Acupuncture points, therefore are determined by these landmark points.

   These anatomical landmarks are determined by palpation, by which we mean the ability to diagnose illness by touch. There are some 400 acupuncture points recognized by the World Health Organization on the meridians.

   Some basic points are very rarely used. Some are used much more frequently and are more “valuable” than others because they can treat many different conditions. Location of acupuncture points by feeling for tnederness of the skin is a common way. Acupuncture points can also be found by looking for minutes changes in temperature on the skin surface and even the “stickiness” of the skin or tissue.

   Body acupunture points are referred to by their traditional Chinese names or through the meridians on which they are found, followed by a number. This indicates the order of the point on the actual meridian.

   For example, a common point on the hand is the “hegu”. It is also known as L14 which means that is the fourth point on the long intestine meridian.

   Acupuncture points are specific points found on your body which are the focus of acupunture and other forms of acupuncture which we will look at later. Hundreds of acupuncture points are found on the meridians but there are also many other extra acupuncture points that are not linked to any particular meridian as such.

   As we mentioned before in the discussion of the organs, acupunctures view the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine in functional rather than structural terms. what this means is that concepts are more cruial in people diagnosis and treatment than describing anatomy.

   Actually there is little or no anatomical evidence for the existence of these acupuncture points or even meridians. However there is considerable evidence of the effects of acupuncture on the appropriate acupuncture points. Neuro-imaging research has shown that certain acupuncture points have no effects that are not otherwise predictable.

   Channels and Meridians are the pathways for chi and the connection between the vital organs or zang fu. The standard Acupuncture Nomenciature published by the World Health Organization list some 20 meridians.

   These 20 meridians are further divided into “standard meridians”, one meridian each for the twelve major organs. Each meridian is responsible for nourishing that particular organ. There are also 8 “extraordinary” meridians only two of which have their own set points, the other six connecting various points on the other meridians. The twelve main meridians are the pathways that connect our inner world with the outer world.

   Chi is always flowing through our bodies. chi enters our body at specific points in a particular meridian and flows out of the opposite end. This energy then enters the next meridian in the sequence. It continues to flow through the entire body, one meridian after the other. This flow cycle takes 24 hours to complete.

   Each of the twelve main meridian is active for two particular hours in the day. the does not mean that for the remaining twenty two hours the meridian is not functioning, but simply that the activity of chi in those meridians is reduced.

   The twelve standard meridians follow the arms and legs. They provide and regulate chi for the lungs, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, urinary bladder, kidney, pericardium, gall bladder, liver and the triple warmer. It is important to note that these refer to functions of the mentioned organs rather than the structural organ.

   The meridians are also divided according to yin and yang. The yin meridians of the arms include the lung, heart and pericardium. The yang meridian of the arms include both the large and small intestine and the triple warmer. The yin meridians of the leg are the liver, kidney and spleen. The yang meridian of the leg include the gall bladder, the urinary bladder and the stomach.

   Neuro-hormonal Theory is the transmission of pain between the various points of our body and brain can be modulated at different levels in the brain. Different structures in the brain will process different aspects of pain, such as the experience of emotional pain, the perception of what pain feels like, the recognition of how harmful the pain will be and where the pain is coming from.

   The blocking of pain is mediated by what we call neuro-hormones that are attached to the receptors which are responsible for blocking pain. Pain relief using the drug morphine acts on the same receptors that are responsible for blocking pain as those addressed by endorphins, which is a natural substance produced by the body for blocking pain.

   Studies have shown that the pain killing properties of acupuncture come about by stimulating the flow of natural endorphins in the brain. This can be scientifically or medically proven by blocking the action of endorphins using a drug called naloxone. When naloxone is administered, the pain killing effect of the endorphin is nullified and the patient feels pain again. Furthermore, when naloxone was given to a person being actively treated by acupuncture, the pain relieving effects of acupuncture is applied is subject to the natural release of endorphins by the brain.

   Recent studies have also show that acpuncture releases the levels of nitric oxide in the region of treatment, and that this, it turn, increases blood circulation in the region.

   Hologram Theory is our lives  began in the womb as a single cell. Then it is safe to say that there is a part in the whole and the whole in the part at the same time. This is what is sometimes known as the hologram theory of acupuncture.

   If you were to take apart a holographic image, then a fragment of the image will represent the whole image, although it is obviously considerably less detailed. Therefore, every cell in our body is related to every other cell in the body and every one therefore afects every other one. From this prespective, applying acupuncture to a particular region can affect a seemingly unrelated region.

   Fractals theory is patterns that remain the same at all sizes. in simpler terms, the whole struture of the object is composed of many thousands of miniature versions of the object. It is believed that the stimulation of acpuncture points affects remote parts of the body due to fractal resonance. The foot is often seen as “mini body” and treating the foot will therefore yield results for ailments in other parts of the body.

   Chaos Theory is based on the idea that sometimes systems may seem random and often even chaotic, whereas in reality they follow a much deeper order that can only be explained by reference to complex formulae.

   Chaotic systems can be tamed by recognizing the multiple patterns that cause the appearance of chaos and then adjusting or modifying one or more of those patterns or symptoms with many small inputs. Acupuncture is exactly such a series of small inputs that influences the seemingly chaotic human body.

   The Chinese system of medicine is quite intricate, especially in the way that it is suggested that our organs and mental symptoms are related.

   Traditionally, Western scientists and medical practitioners have been suspicious about the nature of this traditional healing methrod. However, some interesting parallels between Western and traditional Chinese medicine have been observed over recent years. As an example, with reference to our earlier example of the relationship between the heart and the kidney, Western medicine has now observed that when one suffers from severe heart problems, kidney failure is often quite close behind.

   While this is relatively recent discovery in the West, this connection between the two organs was established many centuries ago in traditional Chinese medicine. More than 10,000 studies have been conducted into the scientific basis of the effectiveness of acupuncture. It should, therefore be no surprise that the science of acupuncture is evolving as scientists are taking a renewed intertest in this centuries old science.

   Because of this it is now a higjly respected, yet intriguing mode of healing. There are several contemporary scientific theories that argue the case of acupuncture. There are in fact changes that happen in our bodies when acupuncture is performed. Here are some scientific thereories below as evidence of this truth.

   1. Studies using radioactive tracers have shown that acupuncture channels or meridians are in fact distinct channels that are separate from blood vessels and lymph vessels.

   2. Acupuncture points on the body generally have a higher electrical resistance than surrounding tissue.

   3. The conduction of electricity through our bodies is faster through the meridians than it is through the rest of the body.

   4. An electrical charge initiated at one acupoint can be received at a distant point on the same meridian.

   5. Acupuncture needle can act as an antenna and attract electromagnetic energy to pass it into tissue.

   6. Acupuncture also makes the brain release neuropeptides that are helpful in relieving pain.

   7. Another theory claims that needles can jam the pathways and  prevent pain signals from reaching the brain.

   The wisdom of traditional chinese medicine observes the relationship between our mind, body and spirit.

   Keeping this in mind, it is a “holistic” approach that promotes healing on multiple levels. so it is fair to say that traditional Chinese medicine focuses on holistic healing.

   Holistic health refers to a philosophy of physical care that is of the view that our body, mind and even spiritual experiences are interconnected. It is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

   In the same way, traditional Chinese medicines sees the body as a universe, one which must be governed by the laws of balance ( the yin and the yang). Our emotional and mental well being is just as likely to affect our volnerability to disease, and external factors such as work, lifestyle choices, environment and even relationships are crucial to the overall picture of one’s health.

   Contemporary Western medicine describes health in measurable and quantitative processes of chemical reactions. In contrast, traditional Chinese medicine uses the idea of the yin-tang, the organ system and the five elements to look at the body and health. we have already discussed the concept of the yin and the yang briefly but it is worth understanding these concepts in greater depth to improve our understanding of many other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine.

   In Chinses philosophy, the body and the universe at large are best described by opposing and separate yet complementary principles that is, yin and yang.

   Yin represents the cold, the feminine, the light, the toward and downward direction and the passive. Yang represents the ot, the masculine, the dark, the outward and upward direction and the active. The two forces are in constant interaction and opposition yet always influencing each other. For example, if one is suffering from symptoms of high blood pressure, chinese traditional medicine would tell you that the heart has too much yang, and prescribe methrods of reducing the yang or increasing the yin of the heart, after consideration of the effects of this on the other symptoms and organs of the body. Therefore, acupuncture therapies seek to increase or discrease yang or increase yin in particular body regions.

   Chi as we mentioned before is a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medical philosophy. Chi is believed to exist in all living things as a critically important life force or spiritual energy. It is generated by our internal organs and we also receive it from food, water, air and sun light. Our body has natural patterns through which chi flows the meridians. It flows though the body to help nourish and regenerate. Illnesses are often the by product of blocked or imbalanced chi in the body’s meridians or an imbalance of chi in the body’s key organs. Traditional Chinese medicine relieves these imbalances by adjusting chi circulation in the body. Acupuncture is one of the ways of achieving an ideal flow of chi through the body

   The Zang Fuare the internal organs of the body. There are twelve main organs in the chinses medical systems, the lungs, kidneys, large intestine, urinary bladder, small intestine, slpeen, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pericardium and the “triple warmer” also known as san jiao ( the entire torso region) Each organs has a particular kind of chi energy associated with it. each organ also interacts with particular emotions on a mental level.

   With twelve major organs, there are twelve types of chi which move through the main channels or meridians. Chinese medicines aims to heal by connecting symptoms to organs. Symptoms are caused by yin and yang imbalances in the organs or due to an unhealthy flow of chi between organs.

   Coming back to the concept of Zang Fu, this theory also returns us to the concept of yin and yang. “Zang” is related to the yin organs lungs, heart, spleen, kidneys, liver and the pericardium. The “Fu” on the other hand is related to what are deemed to be the yang organs gall bladder, both the small and large intestines, stomach, urinary bladder and the triple warmer or san jiao.

   Each zang organ is paired or coupled with a fu organ except for the pericardium and the triple warmer. These two both describe functions which are not related to any organ.

   In this arrangement, all of the organs help to regulate one another. Each fu organ has a corresponding zang organ and while one “side” of this organ balance is responsible for negatively regulating its organ, the other one is responsible for positively regulating. The way in which organs interact with each other is described by the five element theory.

   Another fundamental concept in the theory of traditional Chinese medicines is that our body and the universe at large is made up of five main elements in nature. Those elements are woods, fire, earth, metel and water. The elements are connected to each other and each one generates another elements or controls another element. each organ is related to a particular element. Traditional chinese medicine uses this categorization of organs and elements to describe, diagnose and treat medical conditions.

   Example, the kidneys is related to water and the heart is related to fire and these two organs have the same relationship as water and fire. Therefore, following this theory, if the kidney is weak there maybe acupuncture or herbs to cool down the heart or increase the chi (energy) in the kidney dystem.

   1. Wood is related to the liver and gall bladder.

   2. Fire is related to the heart and small intestines.

   3. Earth is related to the spleen and stomach.

   4. Water is related to the kidney and urinary bladder.

   5. Metal is related to the lung and large intestine.

   Diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicines relies on recognizing and estblishing global patters of dysfunction in a patient which can be explained in terms of the five element theory and the yin and the yang theory.

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   Acupuncture is more than just a remedy. It is both a science and an art, one that has been thousands of years in the making. Acupuncture is an ancient form of healing that pre-dates written history. It is rooted in a Taoist philosophy more than 6000 years old.

   Legendary Chinese sage, Fu Hsi, observed nature, particularly the flow of energy within one’s self and beyond. He also saw the connection between the human body and the universe at large. He created the first two symbols that of a broken line, and an unbroken line. They represented the two major forces in nature, creation and reception.

   The primitive history of China is divided into two eras. These are the Old Stone Age (more than 10,000 years ago) and the New stone Age (10,000-4,000years ago) periods.

   In the  Old Stone Age period, knives made of stone were used for medical procedures. During the New Stone Age, stones were made into sharp needles and served as healing instruments. They were called “bian” stones. Metal needles soon replaced stones, including those made of bronze, silver and even gold.

   The development of acupuncture as we know it started between the years 3045-204BC in a medical manual called Nei-Jing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine.

   The first part of this manual describes anatomy, physiology, various syndromes, the yin and the yang, the five elements, treatments and man’s relationship with nature.

   The secord part of the manual is all about acupuncture, including descriptions of the meridians )the pathways of vital energy in the body), the functions of the organs, the functions of acupuncture points, types of needles, types of chi and much more.

   Between AD 260 and 265, the physician Huang Fu Mi organized much of the ancient Chinese medical texts into one comrehensive manual, which he called The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Over the years, acupuncture texts continued to be revised and updated.

   In the 20th century in 1950 to be precise Chairman Mao moved for a combination of traditional chinese medicine and Western medicine.

   Acupuncture was now being offered in hospitals across China.

   Acupuncture research continued apace during the 1950s and 1960s with further research into ancient texts, acupuncture anesthesia and acupuncture’s effect on internal organs.

   To the present day, acupuncture plays a crucial role in the medical system of China. China is at the forefront of researching all important aspects and applications of acupuncture and it’s effects. Acupuncture has became modernized, yet it is still deeply tied to the ancient philosophy of nature, balance and well being.

    Aromatherapy has been a highly debatable topic when it comes to weight loss. With everyone seeking a quick fix solution for obesity, every avenue has been turned to as a possible methrod for weight loss. Like with all aspects of aromatherapy, there has been some degree of success but that is according to variables.

   Like all weight loss programs, you need to consult a medical doctor or practitioner prior to setting up any weight loss plan for yourself. It is best to work with someone who is knowledgeable in this field to make sure that a plan will be set up that clearly addresses your specific needs.

   Naturally, the use of essential oils will not make you shed pounds miraculously. Nothing will make you shed pounds miraculously, no matter what it says. However, aromatherapy can help to reduce your need to eat by decreasing your hunger and reducing your desire to eat more food. It can also help provide greater energy when you are working out and reduce your tiredness so that you feel more declined to get up and exercise.

   Any weight losing program requires eating the right food and plenty of exercise, make sure to keep this in mind when you are setting up your own work out plan as it is very important to stay on a schedule when trying to lose weight. All other items added to your diet plan are simply complementary to help you work toeards your overall goal.

   In most cases depression is caused by hormonal or chemical imbalances or through situational triggers. A “situational” trigger includes death of a loved one, physical or verbal abuse, financial hardships, moving, lonliness, retirement, unemployment, divorce, or pressure in life.For most people, depression is short-lived and passes quickly, but other instances of depression may linger much longer.

   If you believe that you have depression, it is always best to consult a qualified physician to address these issues. He or she will probably recommend therapy to you and you may need to start taking medications. It is best deal with depression under a physician’s suprevision.

   If you decide to use aromatherapy to help with your depression, remember that it is only complementary. Aromatherapy can be particularly helpful in imporving your overall mood and outlook on life, but it is no substitute for medical treatment to address your depression issues, particularly when they are caused by hormonal or chemical imbalances.

   However, you can use aromatherapy to enhance your sense of well-being. Try use a diffuser (such as a reed diffuser where the oils climb a reed and diffuse into the air) during the day, an air freshener or room spray with aromatherapy ingredients, a massage with aromatherapy lotions (even a self-massage using aromatherapy oils can be so refreshing), skin, and hair aromatherapy products. Various instances where your sense are exposed to the therapeutic properties of the oils will help make your day easier and will help relieve your stress and anxiety. You can also use bath oils and bath salts.

   It is believed by those who practice aromatherapy that it can greatly influence and improve upon a person’s emotional well-being. We as human beings experience a wide variety of emotional states and we need to address these emotional states in order to continue functioning in society. It is hard to deal with other people when stricken with grief, even more when stricken with anger.

   Therefore, some people turn to aromatherapy as a method to deal with these strong emotions. Different oils have properties that deal with different emotional states.

   Here is a listed of most human emotions that we wish either to suppress or to enhance.

   Anger- Bergamot, Jasmine, Neroli, Orange, Patchouli, Petitgrain, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang.

   Anxirty- Bergamont, Cederwood, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Mandarin, Neroli, Patchouli, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Sandlewood, Vertiver.

   Confidence- Bay Laurel, Bergamot, Cypress, Grapefruit, Jasmine, orange, Rosemary.

   Depression- Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Helichrysum, asmine, Lavender, Lemon, Mandarin, Neroli, Orange, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Sandlewood, Ylang Ylang.

   Fatigue, Exhaustion and Burnout- Basil, Bergamont, Black pepper, Clary Sage, Cypress, Frankincense, Ginger, Grapefruit, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lemon, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandlewood, vetiver.

   Fear- Bergamont, Cederwood, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Neroli, Orange, Roman Chamomile Sandlewood, Vetiver.

   Grief- Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Neroli, Rose, Sandlewood, Vetiver.

   Happiness and peace- Bergamont, frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Lemon, Neroli, Orange, Rose, Sandlewood, Ylang Ylang.

   Insecurity- Bergamont, Cederwood, Frankincense, Jasmine, Sandlewood, Vetiver.

   Irritability- Lavender, Mandarin, Neroli, Roman Chamomile, Sandlewood.

   Loneliness- Bergamont, Clary Sage, Frankinense, Helichrysum, Roman Chamomile, Rose.

   Memory and Concertration- Basil, Black Pepper, Cypress, Hyssop, Lemon, peppermint, Rosemary.

   Panic and Panic Attacks- Frankincense, Helichrysum, Lavender, Neroli, Rose

   Stress- Benzoin, Bergamont, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Mandarin, Neroli, Patchouli, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Sandlewood, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang.