Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. In a session, the “needle” is used to stimulate specific, powerful sites (acupoints) along meridian lines, which is though to promote healing throughout the body’s various systems. Here are four of the most common hypotheses for how acupuncture helps to restore balance to the body:
1. Unblock Energy Flow
By releasing areas of congestion and stagnation through acupuncture, qi is allowed to flow unfettered and promote health and balance.
2. Placebo Effect
The bulk of the benefits seen with acupuncture are heavily rooted in the mind-bending placebo effect. Whether this is true or not, the mind is a powerful source of healing energy.
3. Stimulate the Body’s Healing Powers
Some believe that stimulating nerves with the fine needle activates the body’s internal healing mechanisms. In turn, the brain sends signals to that area in order to restore balance, when it may not have been actively addressing that area before.
4. Fascial Release
Fascia is essentially an extensive compression sock that keeps your whole body contained. The issue is, with imbalance and inactivity, areas of fascia can become stiff, thick and unhealthy, leading to pain, inflammation and mis-signaling in the body.