The Benefits of Acupuncture
For thousands of years, humans have understood that healing is not something we do to the body, but something the body remembers how to do when given the right conditions.
Acupuncture, one of the oldest medical arts still practiced today, is a living expression of that remembering — a dialogue between body and spirit, between matter and movement, between the measurable and the invisible.
In the Huangdi Neijing, the foundational text of Classical Chinese Medicine written over two millennia ago, it is said that “the superior physician moves the Qi before disease has formed.” Illness, from this view, is not random; it is the echo of imbalance — of warmth misplaced, fluids stagnating, emotions constrained, breath no longer reaching the roots. Acupuncture arose as a way to restore this conversation between Heaven and Earth inside the human form: to guide Qi and Blood back into rhythm.
Today, that ancient language translates beautifully into the scientific frameworks of circulation, neuroendocrine regulation, and nervous-system repair. Modern research confirms what the ancients observed: acupuncture increases microcirculation, improves vagal tone, modulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and calms inflammatory signaling. But to say that acupuncture “works” through any single mechanism is to miss the truth of it. It works because the body is not mechanical. It is relational.
A single needle, placed with skill and intention, speaks to the intelligence of the body. At one level, it signals the nervous system to release endorphins and oxytocin, reducing pain and inviting ease. At another, it reorders electrical and connective tissue currents that organize how the body holds itself. At the deepest level, it reminds the Heart of safety and the Kidneys of trust — the timeless polarity of fear and love that governs so much of human physiology.
This is why acupuncture can meet such a vast range of complaints: menstrual pain and hormonal imbalance, digestive disorders, anxiety, chronic fatigue, insomnia, migraines, fertility challenges, musculoskeletal injuries, emotional overwhelm. It’s not because the needle “fixes” all these things individually, but because it restores the regulatory capacity beneath them.
In scientific terms, this is the recalibration of homeostasis. In classical language, it is the return of harmony between Yin and Yang, Qi and Blood.
In women’s health, acupuncture holds a particularly sacred role. The female body is cyclical by nature — a microcosm of seasonal change, governed by movement between fullness and emptiness, warmth and rest. The menstrual cycle itself is a living manifestation of the Dao: the waxing of Yin through follicular growth, the ignition of Yang through ovulation, the descent of Blood through menstruation, and the quiet renewal of Jing in stillness. When this rhythm is disturbed — by stress, trauma, depletion, cold, or stagnation — symptoms arise: painful periods, irregular cycles, PMS, infertility, or exhaustion.
Acupuncture, with its capacity to guide flow and restore warmth, reawakens this internal tide. Studies have shown that acupuncture improves uterine and ovarian blood flow, regulates hypothalamic and pituitary hormones (FSH, LH, estradiol), and supports endometrial receptivity — all key elements for fertility and menstrual health. But beyond biology, something deeper happens: women begin to feel at home in their bodies again. The numbness, tension, and overdrive that once ruled give way to sensitivity, softness, and presence.
This same intelligence applies to digestion and mental health — systems that, in Chinese Medicine, are inseparable. The Spleen and Stomach govern not only the transformation of food but also the digestion of life experience. When overthinking, worry, or perfectionism consume the mind, they drain the Spleen, leading to bloating, fatigue, or lack of appetite. Modern neuroscience mirrors this with the gut-brain axis: emotional stress alters motility, inflammation, and microbiota composition. Acupuncture has been shown to restore vagal balance, regulate the enteric nervous system, and reduce inflammatory cytokines in IBS and functional dyspepsia. The classical and modern both point toward one truth — the mind and body are one continuum. Healing one heals the other.
The modern world, however, challenges that unity. Many of us live in states of low-grade fight-or-flight — nervous systems unable to trust rest, bodies constantly in output mode. The Neijing warned of this centuries ago: that excess striving and emotional stagnation damage the Heart and Spleen, scattering Shen (spirit) and consuming Qi.
Acupuncture, by restoring parasympathetic dominance and slowing the breath, invites the body back to coherence. A 2021 meta-analysis found that acupuncture significantly improves heart-rate variability — an index of vagal tone and emotional regulation. Other studies show decreased cortisol levels, improved sleep quality, and reduced anxiety. In essence, acupuncture teaches the body safety — not intellectually, but somatically.
Acupuncture is cumulative. While even a single session can shift physiology, the medicine works best through rhythm — much like exercise, meditation, or therapy. With each treatment, the body learns to trust regulation again, to maintain its own balance between sessions.
In practice, most chronic issues respond best to weekly treatments for several weeks, followed by tapering as stability returns. Acute pain or injury may resolve more quickly; deep hormonal or emotional patterns may need time, just as the seasons cannot be rushed. The body is not a collection of parts; it is a map of meaning. Every point is a doorway through which life-force can begin to move again.
Modern science may speak of blood flow, neurotransmitters, and fascia. Ancient texts spoke of Qi, Shen, and the channels between Heaven and Earth. In truth, they are describing the same thing — the living network that connects every part of us, and the profound capacity of that network to heal itself when we listen.
Acupuncture bridges the measurable and the mystical, offering a way back to embodiment in a culture that forgets the body’s wisdom. Whether for menstrual pain, fertility, digestion, anxiety, burnout, or simply the desire to feel more alive, this medicine meets you where you are and invites you back to wholeness.
Healing, after all, is not a transaction. It is a remembering — a returning to the quiet intelligence already woven through your skin, your pulse, your breath.
If you are curious about how acupuncture might support you — whether for women’s health, emotional well-being, or to rebalance your energy — I invite you to experience it.
Each session is not just a treatment, but a conversation between you and your body’s deeper knowing.
Book your session here.
With gratitude,
Juliette Eleonora Zoë Weersink
Founder Essence of Juji