Most people have heard of acupuncture, but most don’t know that there are at least 60 different systems of acupuncture, most based on the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. Of these, Zhu’s scalp acupuncture and navel acupuncture are particularly effective systems that treat a wide variety of conditions.
They are popular because they often produce an immediate affect or change in the patient’s condition. What does this mean? It means, that if you have pain, the pain should start to reduce in intensity; if you have decreased grip strength, the grip should become stronger; if you have a bloated stomach: the stomach should start to flatten; if you are hot: you should start to feel cooler; and if you have a persistent dry cough: the cough should stop; or if you have a short of breath: you should start to breathe easier.
Zhu’s scalp acupuncture divides the regions of the scalp into areas that correspond to the body: upper body, with heart and lungs; middle body, with stomach and liver; and lower body, with kidneys and reproductive organs; and areas that correspond to the upper limbs, lower limbs, head, shoulder, neck, waist, and spine. Patients are treated using very fine, sterile needles inserted superficially into these areas of the scalp to treat their specific problem.
Navel acupuncture, similarly, divides the eight cardinal directions from the navel into zones that have specific correlations to organs and parts of the body. For example north treats the heart, and the head; south treats kidneys and feet; west treat the liver, and waist; and east treats the lungs, and skin problems; and so on. Patients are treated using very fine sterile needles inserted superficially into the area from the navel that correspond to their Chinese medicine condition. Often, these regions of the abdomen are palpated for tenderness to determine the area that needs treatment.
Both these 2 systems are particularly effective in regulating the whole body.
In the acupuncture session, patients are asked to exercise the affected area, to observe for changes in their conditions; and often improvements will start to occur.