
	Types of Complementary Therapy: Massage Reflexology Acupuncture

Acupuncture for Low Back Pain

Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and originated in China. It has been used in the Far East to treat all medical problems all these years and is still around today.

It is the use of needles at specific points in and around the body that correspond to energy channels within the body. The Chinese believe that we each have internal energy that flows along specific lines called 'meridians'. With illness and injury the energy does not flow as it should along the meridians. It targets specific points dependent upon where the energy is not flowing as it should and helps to free the flow, thus restoring balance and health.

Often, the needles are not placed where the pain is felt and the number of needles used vary according to the presenting problem. The needles used are usually very thin and often little is felt when they are inserted.

People have reported a variety of sensations and frequently there is a general sense of relaxation as well as a reduction in pain levels.

Only recently has there been an increasing interest in the use of acupuncture in medicine. This results in an increasing number of research studies that are starting to provide evidence that shows a physiological effect occurs and it is not all just placebo.