Acupuncture treatment in Spokane was used by the Chinese as a preventative therapy and to give health and longevity to the individual.  In the West, it is often used as a way to relieve pain.  Basically acupuncture is all about needles piercing certain points called acupoints to stimulate biochemical reactions in order to treat a condition.  The stimulation according to traditional acupuncturists promotes balance and movement of energy (chi) throughout the internal body.  Chi uses energy vessels called meridians, which are physiologically invisible, to travel throughout the body.  The meridians form a network of energy channels around the body. A meridian is often associated to a specific function or body organ (e.g. stomach, kidneys and lungs). The body has 365 acupoints with 12 main meridians situated just below these points.

When the flow of chi is not impeded, the body is in a balanced and healthy state.  When chi flow stagnates or is blocked, the result is mental, emotional or physical ill health. Other factors such as dryness, dampness, cold or heat as well as emotions like fear, grief or anger or a poor diet, too much sex or overwork, can also imbalance chi level and stagnate chi flow.

If chi flow is stagnant or is blocked acupuncture is used to remove the causes of the blockage that stagnates or hinders chi flow.  For energy deficient or energy excessive organs, the acupuncturist will insert needles into acupoints associated with those organs to balance them.  The acupoint may be located far from where the organ is.  For example, a kidney deficient in chi may be treated by inserting a needle on the outer ear.  This is so because meridians branch out from different parts of the body and can be stimulated at known points not necessarily in close proximity to their associated organ.

One variation of traditional acupuncture is Korean hand acupuncture. As the name suggests, this technique is practiced in Korea and solely uses acupoints in the hand and fingers to potentially treat the entire body of different conditions.

Ear or auricular therapy is a traditional Chinese technique that needles the ear.  The ear has so many meridians passing through it and many kinds of disorders necessitate ear acupuncture for treatment.  To prolong the therapeutic effect of ear acupuncture, small magnetic ball bearings taped on the ear or light and electrical therapies are often used.  In between sessions, the ball bearings can still induce a therapeutic effect when the patient rubs the bearings on the ear.  The rubbing gives the body a prompt relaxing and calm sensation.  Auricular therapy is a great technique and is used for the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse.

Whether you use it for the relief of pain or treatment of illness or drug or alcohol abuse, once acupuncture gets your chi flowing normally once more, it will mean a healthy, pain-free and meaningful life for you.