Is acupuncture helpful in the treatment of heart diseases

Condition analysis:
When it comes to alternative healing therapies, acupuncture is certainly one of the more well-known. Thousands of years old, acupuncture is Chinese in origin. Practitioners believe that the insertion of thin needles at designated points along meridians rebalance your chi (also sometimes referred to as qi). Chi is the term used to describe your life force or energy flow. In traditional practice, acupuncture is believed to improve health by preventing illness, direct treatment of medical conditions, and generally promoting good health.

The use of acupuncture in the West has been increasing for the past 30 years. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of acupuncture for a variety of medical conditions including digestive problems (Constipation, diarrhea, spastic colon, gastritis), urinary, menstrual or reproductive disorders (for relief of menstrual cramps, for example), respiratory conditions (bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma), and neurological or muscular conditions (tendinitis, Sciatica, Headaches, neck and back pain, tennis elbow, Osteoarthritis). Acupuncture is also frequently used to treat chronic pain, as well as various emotional and stress related conditions, labor pain, fibromyalgia, and some side effects of chemotherapy (nausea and vomiting).

Practitioners of this ancient Chinese healing art believe that acupuncture can also help reduce your risk of heart disease (heart attack, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease). Globally, heart disease remains a leading cause of death. Despite education, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Heart disease can be reduced, and in some instances even prevented, by lifestyle changes.

Instructions:
Common sense dictates what needs to be done to prevent the kind of heart disease that arises from lack of exercise and poor diet.

-- Move more with a minimum of moderate exercise 30 minutes a day, 3-5 times per week.
-- Choose quality nutrition to lower cholesterol and blood pressure: more plant-based food, high quality oils found in seeds and nuts and cooking with extra-virgin olive oil.
-- Limit alcohol consumption, recommended 1 drink per day for women, 2 drinks for men.
-- No smoking!
-- Reduce the stress in your life.