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Holistic Acupuncture for Preventative Health

As healthcare reform continues to be a leading focus of political and public health initiatives, many Americans continue to seek out acupuncture as a way to not only treat disease but also to prevent disease and improve health. As an ancient Chinese form of treatment, more and more adults recognize the analgesic effects of holistic acupuncture as well as the benefits this form of therapy has upon the immune system. If you are considering ways in which to naturally boost your immunity, it is important to become familiar with the ways in which holistic acupuncture can improve health in the short term and long term.

Generally, there are three areas of physiology that are affected, positively, by the use of holistic acupuncture. In terms of immunity health, the areas affected are most commonly referred to as the local, neuronal and the neurohumoral systems – terms that are going to be important to you as you seek out acupuncture treatment.

Local immunity benefits from acupuncture refer to the areas of the body that are most superficial. These areas of local immunity benefit include the holistic acupuncture points that stimulate the capillaries, nerve endings and the areas normally considered ordinary skin points in acupuncture. Typically, this would be the superficial areas where not much pain or feeling would be sensed.

At a deeper level, holistic acupuncture stimulates the neuronal system by reaching deeper into the central nervous system. When inserted, the acupuncture needle will improve the immune system by eliciting some degree of minor pain. When this is done, the body’s natural response results in the release of potassium and other natural healing chemicals as a defense to the perceived danger the body is in. Logically, the body is not in danger but because the neuronal process activates the lower and deeper levels of the central nervous system, resulting in a release of endorphins and other “feel good” chemicals.

As endorphins are released into the body, the next stage of acupuncture treatment stimulates the third level of immune therapy – resulting in a passing of “feel good” hormones through the blood-brain barrier. When passed through the barrier, the pituitary gland begins to affect the activity of the various other cells, tissues and organs in the body. Ultimately, this leads to better physiological responses which then improve the immune system response.

Acupuncture has long been used as a form of treatment for improving and treating diseases and ailments. For preventative medicine, many adults are turning to acupuncture as a way to reduce healthcare costs – asking for treatment in a tertiary level of care – applying acupuncture to not only the local regions but also the neuronal and neurohumoral regions.