The practice of acupuncture has been around for a long time. It started in the 2nd century B.C. in China. Since then acupuncture spread from China to Korea, Japan and Vietnam and the rest of the world. In 17th century acupuncture made its way to the West. The focus of this article is to let you know what acupuncture is, which diseases it can treat and about Victoria Acupuncture colleges in British Columbia, Canada.

What is Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical procedure involving insertion and manipulation of needles at any 365 acupuncture points in the human body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. These acupuncture points are located on the path or meridians through which life energy, called Qi, flows.

There are 20 meridians in a human body. Twelve of which go along the arms and the legs and they correspond to the functions of internal organs such as Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, Spleen, Heart, Small Intestine, Urinary Bladder, Kidney, Pericardium, Triple Warmer, Gall Bladder, and Liver. The rest of the meridians are considered to be storage vessels or reservoirs of energy and are not associated directly with the internal organs.

According to Chinese medicine, physiological and emotional disharmony are caused by blockages or disruptions of energy flow along the meridians. With acupuncture such malfunction are rectified by stimulating specific acupoints along the meridians.

What Can Acupuncture Treat:

Acupuncture treatments can be implemented for different kinds of Respiratory, Bronchopulmonary, Orthopedic, Gastrointestinal, Ophthalmic, Oral, Neurological disorders. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the following illnesses along with many others can be treated with acupuncture treatments: Acute sinusitis, Common cold, Acute tonsillitis, Acute bronchitis, Bronchial asthma, Acute conjuctivitis, Cataract, Myopia, Toothache, Gingivitis,Tennis elbow, Lower back pain, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spasm of the esophagus and cardia, Gastric hyperacidity, Chronic duodenal ulcer, Acute bacterial dysentery, Constipation, Diarrhea, Headache, Migraine, Facial paralysis, Paralysis after apoplectic fit, Paralysis caused by poliomyelitis, Neurogenic bladder dysfunction.

Where to Study Acupuncture in Victoria:

There are several colleges that teach Acupuncture in Victoria. Among these Victoria Acupuncture colleges Canadian College of Acupuncture and Pacific Rim College, Oriental Medicine, and Oshio College of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are worth mentioning.

Pacific Rim College, located in Johnson Street, Victoria, has an extensive program on acupuncture. Their programs include: Diploma of Acupuncture, Diploma of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, Dual Diplomas of Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, and Japanese Acupuncture Certificate Program.

Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has a 3 Year Diploma of Acupuncture program along with a 4 Year Diploma of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a 5 Year Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diploma program. This Victoria Acupuncture college is located in Chinatown in downtown Victoria.

Oshio College of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, located in McKenzie Avenue, has 3 to 5 year long programs on Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.