Canadian Medical Guide > Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment > Therapeutics > Complementary Therapies > Acupuncture Therapy Terms and Definitions




Acupuncture Therapy

Medical Definition: Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. It is sometimes used in conjunction with heat, moxibustion, acupressure, or electric stimulation.
Guide Notes: do not confuse wth ACUPUNCTURE, the specialty; ACUPUNCTURE, EAR is also available; Oriental taking of pulses = PULSE + appropriate acupuncture or Oriental medicine terms
Previously Indexed: Acupuncture (1966-1989)
Acupuncture Therapy Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Acupressure - A type of massage in which finger pressure on specific body sites is used to promote healing, relieve fatigue, etc. Although the anatomical locations are the same as the ACUPUNCTURE POINTS used in ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY (hence acu-), no needle or other acupuncture technique is employed in acupressure. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed). Shiatsu is a modern outgrowth that focuses more on prevention than healing.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Acupuncture Analgesia - Analgesia produced by the insertion of ACUPUNCTURE needles at certain ACUPUNCTURE POINTS on the body. This activates small myelinated nerve fibers in the muscle which transmit impulses to the spinal cord and then activate three centers - the spinal cord, midbrain and pituitary/hypothalamus - to produce analgesia.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Acupuncture, Ear - Acupuncture therapy by inserting needles in the ear. It is used to control pain and for treating various ailments.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Meridians - Classical loci in acupuncture. They are main and collateral channels, regarded as a network of passages, through which vital energy circulates and along which acupoints (ACUPUNCTURE POINTS) are distributed. The meridians are a series of 14 lines upon which more than 400 acupoints are located on the body. (The Pinyin Chinese-English Dictionary, p. 359; Dr. Wu Lancheng, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Moxibustion - The burning of a small, thimble sized, smoldering plug or cone of moxa, usually Artemisia vulgaris (Mugwort), on the skin at an ACUPUNCTURE point.

Acupuncture Therapy Medical Definitions and Terms

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