A Brief Description of Acupuncture Piercing

Acupuncture, which can be used to treat a broad range of conditions and is a treatment which encourages the patient's body to cure itself, is one of the oldest medical procedures in the world. It had its origins in China, more than 2500 years ago; some even believe it to be as long as 4000 years ago.

In acupuncture, the nerves in the skin and muscles are stimulated by the penetration of thin, metallic, solid needles at anatomic points also known as acupuncture points or acupoints and this produces a wide variety of effects. It causes the system to increase the release of natural painkillers. These natural painkillers, endorphin and serotonin, are released in the pain pathway of the brain and the spinal cord causing the pain signals which are received to be modified.

In acupuncture the Chinese terms jing luo means meridian or channel and qi (chi) means natural energy or vital energy and xue mean acupuncture points or acupoints. It is believed that qi or energy circulates throughout the body through the jing luo or the channels or meridians of which there are about 12 main ones and about 8 minor ones. The acupuncture points are the locations of the meridians or channels found close to the surface of our body. There may be about 2000 of these acupoints used for various treatments.

There are two common terms in the traditional Chinese medicine system. They are yin and yang. Yin is thought to be the cold, passive or female principle whilst yang is thought to be the hot, active or male principle. They are two opposite forces. A state of harmony is said to be achieved when these two opposing forces are in balance. If there is an imbalance of the two, the flow of vital energy or natural energy is blocked and it is believed that disease and all other ailments come about as a result of this imbalance. This imbalance can occur when a person is depressed, due to grief, anger or fear, stressed or when it is very cold, very hot, humid, windy or dry. Factors such as an improper diet, exhaustion, overwork and too much sex can bring about this imbalance as well.

Acupuncture can restore this imbalance of energy. It is done by piercing these acupoints with the needles which then causes a stimulation causing it to counteract the imbalance.

There are relatively few complications using acupuncture but there are certain risks involved if acupuncture is not used by trained and qualified acupuncture practitioners. Improper use of needles could result in certain organs being pierced, fainting, convulsions, nerve damage and also the onset of infections and also allergic reaction. If the needle is not placed properly, it can cause soreness and pain. If the needles are defective, blunt or if the patient moves, this could also lead to pain. If you have acupuncture when you are pregnant, there is possibility of harming the fetus as stimulation of the production of the hormone adrenocorticotropic and oxytocin which affects labor may take place.

Stimulation of the immune system is said to be brought about by acupuncture. It also has an effect on the release of various hormones that take part in helping the body to react to injury and stress. In cases where the use of Western medicine is said to be very limited, like chronic pain management and drug addiction, acupuncture has shown encouraging results.

The Body Piercing is The Medium

Nae Morris was 5 years old when she had her ears pierced.

Now 20, the University of Michigan student has 13 piercings, stretched earlobes with half-inch holes and several tattoos. She also has scars in the shape of flowers along the side of her torso that were created by having her skin cut with a scalpel, a process known as scarification.

Morris’ mother, she said, is the only member of her family who is speaking to her after her aunt found photographs of her on a body modification Web site six months ago. It has been an ongoing battle with her family over the past several years to explain why she chooses to modify her body in different ways.

“I’m trying to explain when is enough, when is it bodily harm, and what does it mean to me,” she said, sitting on a stool in the Lucky Monkey tattoo and piercing shop on South Ashley Street on the west side of downtown Ann Arbor. “Everything I have done has to mean enough to me to be worth it to stand up to my whole family. And I’m still going.

“It feels right. It feels like it belongs, every piece fits in. … I’m slowly getting happy.”

Body modification is done for many reasons, aesthetic, cultural, ritual and psychological. Intentional alterations to the body run the gamut from the more socially accepted ear piercing and plastic surgery to facial tattoos, implantation of jewelry under the skin, and the permanent modification of organs, such as tongue-splitting.

Modifying the body has been part of cultural rituals around the world for ages. Foot binding in China, lip stretching in Ethiopia, tattooing in Borneo, breast augmentation in the United States and female circumcision in Somalia are all forms of body modification.

Modifications available in the tattoo and piercing shops in and around Ann Arbor range from tattoos and ear piercing to implants under the skin, branding and stretching.

Parents want curbs on teen body piercing

The State Government has been urged to pass laws to prevent teenagers from getting intimate body piercings, after a controversial tattoo artist started a campaign to give teenagers the right to pierce without parental consent.

In a move certain to outrage parents, Bob Anderson, owner of the popular Primal Urge Piercing in Hay Street, maintains that 16-year-olds already have adult privileges and should have the right to decide what they want to do with their own bodies.

“Sixteen-to-18-year-olds have the right to consensual sex and to learn to drive a motor vehicle,” he writes on his business’ website, urging young people to voice their opposition to the “do-gooders” who seek to restrict the piercing of nipples and genitalia to those aged 18 and above.

But Janet Woollard, Independent MLA for Alfred Cove, who introduced legislation in late 2007 aimed at protecting teenagers from the side-effects of piercing, said the move would be a disaster.

“Children are coming home mutilated and disfigured with pins, rings and studs embedded in all parts of their bodies and there is nothing parents can do to prevent it because this State does not have a minimum age for body piercing enshrined in legislation,” she said.

Dr Woollard’s private member’s Bill would bring body piercing into line with existing laws preventing children under 18 from being branded or tattooed.

Currently, there are only ethical guidelines for body piercing, issued by the Department for Communities, that recommend the restriction of intimate piercings to those over 18 and parental consent for piercings for any other body part for a child aged below 16.

Mr Anderson said such restrictions were futile, suggesting that teenagers would not wait until they turned 18 to be pierced.

Child Protection Minister Sue Ellery said she supported the same approach to body piercing that exists for tattooing and branding and requiring teenagers to seek parental approval.