The approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has always been a preventative one. The idea being that waiting until contracting an illness before treating it is backwards thinking. Treating an illness after it has already taken hold, means that you will be always operating at least one step behind.

For example, you wouldn’t wait until you are hungry to decide to plant a garden. This type of reactive response is not effective in ensuring good health. There are many things you can do to manage your health and promote better health, Acupuncture, massage, exercise and a good diet is just some of the things that keep you healthy.

Using Acupuncture as a Preventative Medicine

Acupuncture is a branch of TCM that is used to treat a wide variety of ailments, and to promote good overall health and a sense of well-being.

If you want to keep your health at an optimal level, and avoid chronic disease, then some precautionary forward thinking is required.

Acupuncture practitioners adopt this holistic style, focusing on boosting immunity, circulation, and resilience.

Because acupuncture is so diverse in its healing and strengthening properties, it is a perfect preventative medicine.

Acupuncture to Prevent Chronic Illness

In many cases of chronic illnesses taking preventative measures could decrease severity and potentially prevent it if identified early enough.

• Acupuncture
• A healthy and nutritious diet
• Getting the required amount of sleep
• Regular exercise
• Avoiding bad lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking excess alcohol

Benefits of Acupuncture

There are a multitude of advantages to be gained from regular acupuncture treatments.

Some of the benefits are:

• Reducing stress
• Restoring balance
• Increasing circulation
• Reducing chronic pain

Reducing Stress

One of the most attractive qualities of acupuncture is its ability to reduce stress. Stress is one of the chief contributors to chronic illness and health complications.

Chronic stress can lead to all kinds of health issues, producing negative physical, mental, and emotional effects. Acupuncture aids the body in managing stress better and reducing its negative impact mentally and physically.  Acupuncture can help you feel calmer, less overwhelmed, promote restorative sleep, improve immune system and much more.

Physical Effects

Physiological symptoms associated with stress can affect your daily life, manifesting as:

• Headaches
• Muscle aches and pains
• Sleep issues
• Lowered immune system
• Fatigue
• Tinnitus

Mental Effects

There are also several cognitive symptoms caused by stress, such as:

• Anxiety and worry
• Impaired memory
• Lack of focus
• Impaired judgement
• Increased irritability

Emotional Effects

Another life component that is negatively impacted by stress is the emotional aspect. Some emotional effects of stress include:

• Reduced self-esteem and self-worth
• More prone to irrational response
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Difficulty relaxing
• Social isolation

Restoring Balance

Acupuncture is an effective way to restore balance to your body and all the systems within it. Another major factor in chronic illness is hormonal imbalance.

Acupuncture can help restore hormonal balance by increasing the flow of Qi (the body’s energy) and removing congestion or blockages along the meridians, or pathways, where the Qi travels throughout the body.

Increasing Circulation

Circulatory issues are a common concern for a lot of people in North America. A sedentary lifestyle, paired with a poor diet, can result in reduced blood flow.

Acupuncture stimulates blood flow and improves circulation to make sure oxygen and nutrients are being distributed to all the body’s cells.

Reducing Chronic Pain

Acupuncture has been proven to reduce various types of chronic pain and suffering. Acupuncture can help reduce:

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Arthritis
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain

Regular acupuncture treatments can result in preventing these conditions from occurring before they even begin. If you are experiencing any type of unfavorable symptoms, an acupuncture practitioner can assess these symptoms and apply preventative treatment plans to help improve your life.  Try Acupuncture today it could change your life!