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 Beauty and fashion, health updates, pets, gadgets Acupuncture Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese health treatment which spread to Japan in the sixth century. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine spread to Japan but it wasn’t until the 17th century that French missionaries brought it to the West. They gave it its modern name, acupuncture, from the Latin roots acus (needle) and puncture (puncture) which literally means needle piercing. Acupuncture had become the ‘new cure’ in the West and doctors in and around Europe formed study groups and performed experiments to find explanations of the workings of this ‘miracle treatment’. In the 70s, a New York Times columnist wrote about his appendix operation with the use of acupuncture instead of conventional anaesthesia, and acupuncture exploded on the American medical scene. Now acupuncture has become so popular among conventional doctors in the West that many now use it alongside and in conjunction with Western medicine. It has been shown to always work best when it is kept within the realms of the Chinese tradition in which it is so firmly ‘at home’. The main difference between Western and Eastern health care is that in China health care is seen in terms of prevention – you go to the doctor when there isn’t anything wrong with you to ensure that you maintain good health. The ancient Chinese believe that we are all born with a specific amount of energy circulating in our bodies, called chi or qi (pronounced chee). This energy is said to flow throughout the body along a series of meridians or channels below the skin. The amount of chi is determined by heredity, but how we live our lives also influences our chi. We enhance our store of energy by taking care of ourselves; we add to our energy by eating the right foods. It also should be supported with proper exercise, and breathing clean air. Our chi can be depleted by inappropriate living habits. The Chinese see that illness can occur when these energies become unbalanced, but the acupuncturist can stimulate the body to correct itself by inserting fine stainless steel needles into particular points along these channels (meridians). The needles are very fine and should not hurt. The Chinese see the stresses of life that lead to imbalance or disease as: * the six excesses: wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness and fire (Traditional Chinese Medicine theory of elements). * the seven moods: joy, anger, anxiety, obsession, fear, horror and sorrow. * Intemperance in eating and drinking. * Too little or too much sexual activity. * Too little or too much exercise or work (or, in this ‘new age’, too much or too little contemplation). Any of these stresses and excesses can block the flow of chi in different parts of the body, or the meridians. Illness is an excess of deficiency in the energies in the body – an energy imbalance. They say that death is the absence of, or total depletion of this energy. Acupuncture has its own highly developed body of knowledge. To be properly used, it has to be based on a comprehensive medical education. There are three types of acupuncture used today: * Traditional acupuncture A preventive medicine for creating and maintaining health, usually practised in conjunction with all forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques – using herbs, food, exercise, breathing and massage in a holistic approach to health. This traditional five element acupuncture takes three years to study and qualifies the practitioner to give complete constitutional treatment. * Symptomatic or First Aid Acupuncture – a formula approach for temporary relief of pain or discomfort without diagnosing the cause. * Anaesthetic Acupuncture The use of needles instead of, or together with, anaesthesia during surgery, a technique pioneered in the 20th century by the Chinese who integrated Western and Traditional Chinese medicines. We Westerners discovered a little later on that there is a place for both. According to the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC), there are around 500 recognised acupuncture points in the body, of which 100 are most commonly used. It is effective in the treatment of chronic conditions such as arthritis, addictions, asthma, skin problems, infertility, aches and pains, migraines, menstruation and menopause problems, depression and anxiety. Acupuncture is recommended for chronic conditions which do not respond to other treatments, gastrointestinal ailments and conditions related to inflammation and lack of mobility in joints. Much of the initial consultation will be devoted to a detailed diagnosis. Successful acupuncture treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis, so every consultation begins with the four types of examination which are: looking, asking, listening, smelling and touching. The length of treatment depends on the type of illness involved, its duration, your age, and your individual healing abilities. Normally you should see some noticeable improvement after three of four treatments. Nicola Roberts is the owner of Bellissima Hair and Beauty in Los Gigantes, Playa San Juan and San Eugenio Alto. For information or appointments please call 922 867 343, 697 902 361 or 922 719 355. By Nicola Roberts Stressed out? All massages half price every Saturday at Bellissima, Playa San Juan. Dry, spotty, dull skin? Facials half price, every Friday. Bellissima, San Eugenio Alto. Pale, healthy and uninteresting? Spray tan half price (15 euros) every Saturday. Bellissima, San Eugenio Alto. This article appears in the print edition 603 of Island Connections | Canary Islands - 08.02.2012 - Yesterday's ugly scenes at Bilbao airport, where Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary had to be given a police escort after his provocation of former Spanair employees, prompted a furious reaction against the head of the airline by Canarian MP Ana Oramas. more... Las Palmas - 08.02.2012 - The snags preventing the release of tickets for the concert by rock legend Bruce Springsteen in Gran Canaria have now been resolved and the gig has been confirmed 100%, say the organisers. more... La Laguna - 07.02.2012 - A well-known Tenerife lawyer is the focus of police attention in a money-laundering and fraud investigation ordered by a La Laguna judge. more... Canary Islands - 07.02.2012 - Relations between the Canarian government and the new Spanish government sank further yesterday when the region's tourism minister was apparently snubbed by his national counterpart. more... Canary Islands - 07.02.2012 - Two Britons who had to be rescued again after getting into trouble on their bid to cross the Atlantic in a pedal boat could face a hefty fine for the latest mobilisation of air and sea rescue resources. more...    Banish the blues They tell us that this is one of the most depressing times of the year more...   | E-Zigarette Die E-Zigarette Classic ist das robuste Modell für den täglichen Gebrauch. www.elektrische-zigarette.eu Rent a car Tenerife We have been in the rent a car business since 1976 in Tenerife. 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