Contemporary Medical Acupuncture can be an effective and simple treatment based on current concepts of neurophysiology (study of the nervous system), neuroanatomy (brain function), and pathophysiology (change of a person’s mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions). The foundation of this approach is the painless insertion of solid needles and use of electrical stimulation.
Contemporary Acupuncture takes an ancient therapy and re-defines its mechanisms and effects using present-day scientific understanding of human physiology. At first glance, Contemporary Acupuncture may look strikingly similar to traditional Chinese acupuncture. Small thin needles are inserted into various points in the body, including hands, feet and scalp, and left in place for a period of time before removal. At times the practitioner may attach a small electrical device to one or more needles to aid in treatment or may choose to use no electrical input.
However, considerable differences exist between Contemporary Acupuncture theory and the traditional Chinese approach. In Contemporary Acupuncture, your practitioner (physician, physiotherapist, chiropractor etc.) treats you only after a conventional medical/neuro-functional diagnosis has been made. The practitioner will use acupuncture as a treatment modality along with other therapeutic approaches, for example, physiotherapy, massage or chiropractic, as needed. The contemporary acupuncture practitioner applies treatment following a conventional (scientific) view and regards the acupuncture as having certain local tissue effects as well as providing segmental analgesia (pain relief), extra-segmental analgesia, as well as central regulatory effects on the nervous system.
Acupuncture stimulates the body to produce its own pain relieving chemicals called endorphins. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities. Acupuncture can be very effective in treating a variety of painful disorders, both acute and chronic. The use of Contemporary Acupuncture can help minimize pain in a wide range of problems, which can include: headaches, neck pain, shoulder problems, elbow and wrist pain, arthritis of the hip, knee and low back as well as any type of muscle or joint related injury.