What part of the body does acupuncture work wonders on? In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is very popular. Do you know what acupuncture is used for? What are the precautions for acupuncture? What are the benefits of acupuncture for the body? Let's take a look at the amazing effects of acupuncture!
Acupuncture has been popular throughout history, and many people like to use it to relieve physical pain. But is acupuncture really that amazing? Let's take a look at the benefits of acupuncture!
A young man had blocked ears, and an old Chinese doctor used acupuncture in this area
Last week, a young man came to see me complaining that he suddenly felt his ears were blocked when he woke up in the morning. It still hadn't eased up and he felt like there was a cotton ball stuck in his ears. Sometimes, he felt like he was hearing sounds through a layer of film, and occasionally, he would hear a rumbling sound, which made him feel restless and annoyed.
I asked him if he had a cold in the past few days, and he nodded, saying that he had been coughing for the past two weeks and had a runny nose with pus. As he was about to speak, he coughed several times, and his cough sounded like phlegm coming from his trachea, accompanied by a heavy nasal sound.
After hearing his story, I understood his entire process of getting sick. I prescribed him medication and gave him a few acupuncture needles in his ears. He instantly felt much better and I told him to come back after finishing the medication. Three days later, he came for a follow-up visit and when I asked him how he was doing, he said he had improved a lot and looked much more relaxed.
This feeling of blocked ears is very common in clinical practice, especially among people who have been coughing and have a runny nose for a long time. In Western medicine, it is called eustachian tube dysfunction, while in Chinese medicine, we call it "ear congestion and closure," which is mostly related to inflammation of the respiratory tract.
For example, prolonged coughing for one or two weeks or even months, or chronic nasal and sinus inflammation that has been going on for a few weeks, months, or even years without complete relief. The continuous stimulation of the eustachian tube from the inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract, including the repeated blowing of the nose, which can easily change the pressure in the eustachian tube, can lead to poor eustachian tube function. When the tube that should be open is not opened, you will feel that your ears are closed, blocked, or stuffed. If the eustachian tube on the left side cannot be opened, the left ear will feel stuffy and swollen, and if the eustachian tube on the right side cannot be opened, the right ear will feel stuffy and swollen.
Acupuncture can unblock meridians
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, this situation occurs because the meridians connecting the ears to the nasal cavity and throat are obstructed, and the circulation of yang qi in the meridians is hindered. As the saying goes, "If it's not unblocked, it will be blocked." If the blockage in the ears is caused by external factors such as wind or cold, methods to dispel wind or cold will be used. If the blockage is caused by internal factors such as phlegm or dampness, methods to transform phlegm and promote fluid circulation will be used.
The key point of Chinese medicine treatment for this condition is to restore the circulation of qi and blood in the meridians of the ears. For patients who have recently experienced a feeling of blocked ears or stuffiness for a short period, such as a few days, using Chinese medicine and acupuncture techniques for treatment can be very effective and often produce results in a relatively short period of time. If the condition has been going on for a longer period of time and the blockage in the meridians of the ears is more severe, the treatment time will also be relatively longer.
In addition to the above-mentioned issues, a feeling of blocked ears is also often caused by blockage of the external auditory canal by earwax. If it is diagnosed by a doctor as being caused by earwax blockage, an ear, nose, and throat specialist should be consulted for assistance, such as cleaning the external auditory canal, etc. It is common for people to suddenly feel a sense of blockage in their ears after swimming or taking a shower, which is directly related to the swelling of earwax after being soaked in water.
However, it is important to note that if the feeling of blocked ears persists for a long time, especially if it is very noticeable in one ear and is accompanied by fluid accumulation in the ear after examination, it is necessary to consider the possibility of nasopharyngeal cancer or nasal cavity tumors.
