Contemporary Acupuncture Effects Part 3 - Segmental Effects

Once a needle is inserted into the body the surrounding nerves trigger signals locally and to the spinal cord. The signals to the spinal cord are a very important part of the acupuncture effect and, for that matter, in understanding dysfunction. Why?

Each region of the body is supplied by nerves that travel to and from segments of the spinal cord. In some ways the spinal cord is like the gatekeeper, Charon, at the Styx river in Greek mythology. It assists in the coming and going of things. This applies to "regulating" incoming sensory information, information related to the locomotor system (movement) and the autonomic system.

So what does this mean? To treat a problem the acupuncture needle may be used to stimulate the spinal segments on the torso directly or in peripheral tissues (arms, legs) that communicate with those segments.

Here is another video that illustrates medical acupuncture from Dr. Lombardi. The initial treatment is an example of a local and peripheral segmental treatment. At the 3:50 mark of the video you will see direct segmental stimulation along with a local treatment.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NhTtYx0yDE&feature=player_embedded