The Truth about Religion and Acupuncture

Those who hold religious beliefs tend to scrutinize actions and results to decide whether a certain practice falls within acceptability when compared to the encouraged restrictions of their religion. For instance, some religions encourage abstaining from sexual relations or eating certain foods, whether those actions are only carried out at certain periods in one's life or certain times of the year. Religions usually hold opinions and sets of limitations to different areas of people's lives, from the very mild to the extreme, and the medical field is certainly one such area.

There are religious groups through out the world, including some who believe that a transfusion of blood is sacrilegious and would never take someone else's blood into their body, as it makes them "impure". There are some who do not believe in modern medicine and still, to this day, practice holistic medicine. However, most religions do not have a prejudice against Western medicine in whole, but may be against particular things, such as prescriptions for depression. Many Eastern religions have given birth to medical practices of their own. An example of this would be Taoism. Taoism believes in studying nature and its influences upon man. From this belief and observation rose the practice of acupuncture, which has to do with the flow of energy, Qi (pronounced chee), and how those affect areas of the body.

Many religions consider that believing in outside energies is a farce and their followers will spurn procedures using such magic and mystery. Others discount the studies of researchers, considering the strength of acupuncture to lie in the possibility of something intangible, such as Qi. Bibles and scriptures of all types warn against the "Devil's work" and mysticism, which leaves some individuals to believe that acupuncture is evil or wrong.

Quick fact: The traditional Chinese explanation of the effectiveness of acupuncture is based on the Taoist philosophy according to which good health depends on a free circulation of chi or life-force energy throughout all the organs of the body

However, for the most part, acupuncture is receiving a positive welcome in communities around the globe. Perhaps this is because of exercise programs, such as Yoga and Pilates, which have become so popular. Asian culture has exploded into the main stream in fashion, thought, spirituality, technology, and medicine. Years ago, such things as acupuncture and Yoga were only for the "beatniks". The regular Joe did not practice such things and would not have heard the positive benefits, but nowadays, people around the globe want different choices when it comes to their bodies. Many individuals want to try to live a life with minimal medication and invasive procedures, turning to nature to help with illness and pain. Acupuncture is a good alternative.

Did you know that most experts would say that acupuncture is at least 2000 years old. The exact age is less important than the fact that Oriental Medicine is the most widely utilized healing system on this planet

Acupuncture, as mentioned before, has to do with the flow of energy in the body. The energy flows along pathways, fourteen to be precise, which are called meridians. All along the meridian, there are points within that can become blocked. Acupuncture is used to unblock the meridian and allow the energy to flow. This is done with the use of long, thin, solid needles, but most people report that the procedure is painless, so do not worry.

The medical field and the health-care services we choose to receive fall into our set of values and beliefs, be they moral or religious. Certainly, the ultimate decision to accept acupuncture or consider it nothing more than psychological smoke and mirrors remains yours alone, depending much on your personal group of beliefs and your opinion.