Types of Acupuncture: Traditional Russian Medicine

acupunture-traditional-russian-medicine.jpgAcupuncture is a holistic practice with roots in traditional Chinese medicine that started becoming popular in Russia after doctors from that country visited China in the 1950s, according to an international academic journal. Acupuncturists must be trained by practitioners schooled in West, according to Russian officials. 

Russia is situated geographically between western and eastern nations, perhaps explaining its unique mixture of traditions. Russian students who want to become acupuncture practitioners typically have to have some sort of related degree in a discipline like neuropathology.

The rising popularity of holistic approachs

Russian medical practitioners in both disciplines recognize acupuncture has no negative effects, and also that different types of acupuncture treatment release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Acupuncture is still used in China in some areas as a general anesthetic.

The popularity of acupuncture seems to be growing according to Moscow news reports, which indicate there is an acupuncture physician in almost every medical clinic using this holistic approach to care. This growth in interest reflects a similar trend in the U.S. The first use of the acupuncture practice in the country dates back to 1928, when a St. Petersburg doctor used the technique for the first time.

Treating survivors of a terrorist incident

In some modern instances, Russians have sent patients to China for traditional acupuncture treatment, as in the case of the Russia's Beslan hostage crisis.

The Beslan school hostage crisis — also referred to as the Beslan Massacre — began when armed terrorists took more than 1,200 school children and adults hostage in September 2004 in the town of Beslan in North Ossetia.

Children who survived said they witnessed children being shot in the back or otherwise brutally murdered, and were denied food and water during their captivity. They also had to remove their clothes because of the heat, according to CNN.

Ten Russian children who suffered psychological trauma from the Beslan school hostage crisis underwent a month of acupuncture treatment at the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in in Sanya, China's southernmost city in Hainan Province. The recuperative treatment also involved traditional Chinese therapies such as martial arts, qigong and massage therapy. Acupuncture for anxiety can be helpful after a trauma or for those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Helping patients with PTSD and other issues

To learn more about how acupuncture can help relieve the symptoms of PTSD, call the Acupuncture & Massage College in Miami at (305) 595-9500.

If you're interested in pursuing a career that helps people suffering PTSD or other ailments, download our free ebook on how to change careers in four easy steps.

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