Acupuncture works through the use of very fine needles being inserted gently into a combination of acupuncture points on the body which in turn affect channels or meridians that run through the body.
The channels/meridians connect at various levels within the body, they affect certain organs which in turn have their own functions some of which are very similar to the functions understood within Western Conventional Medicine.
In good health the vital life force known as 'Qi' (chee) flows freely around the body at times of ill health the movement of qi becomes stuck rather like a stagnant pool or dam. Acupuncture influences these delicate relationships and helps to restore balance and harmony encouraging the body's natural ability to heal and protect itself.
What causes upset in the flow of Qi (Qi stagnation) are numerous, common causes are emotional upset, stress, depression, unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet, physical trauma.
The practice of acupuncture as a holistic healing system means that the acupuncturist will form a diagnosis tailored to the individual no one treatment will necessarily be the same because different imbalances and different causes exist and conspire together to lead to poor health and disease.
The beauty of acupuncture lies in its ability to treat not just the outward manifestation of ill health but also to address the root cause.