Acupuncture

Ancient Chinese Health Practice

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique. In acupuncture needles are used to manipulate a person's life force for the purpose of re-establishing balance. Evidence of the use of accupuncture goes back at least 4,000 years. It is said that acupuncture was introduced to the Chinese by Huang-ti, the yellow Emperor. He lived some time around the 28th Century B.C. According to pupular belief, he brought the knowledge of things like bows and arrows, writing, the calendar and a medical text called Nei Jing which is still in use today. This book introduces the idea of life force and its importance to a person's mental and physical health.

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The basic belief behind acupuncture is that illness is caused by the failure of a person's life force to move properly along internal "power lines" called meridians. Of them there are mainly 14 in the human body. Very fine needles (sometimes in combination with electrical stimulus or with heat produced by burning specifit herbs) are inserted at some points along these meridians to release blockages and restore balance.

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A very important concept of acupuncture is the concept of natural balance. According to this concept, life spreads out itself in the alternating rhythm. Day gives way to night, night to day; a time of light and activity is followed by darkness and rest. Flowers open and close, the moon waxes and wanes, the tides come in and go out; people wake and sleep, breathe in, breathe out. Their proper relationship is health the opposite is disease.

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Traditionally, there are 365 acupuncture points on the body. Most of the points have a specific energetic function. Some points are at the meeting of meridian pathways. Some other points are junctions on an internal pathway of the meredian. Some points tend to move life force towards the interior of the body. Other points bring energy to the surface.

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The choice of acupuncture points varies from patient to patient and from treatment to treatment. It relies on very careful diagnosis. Diagnosis requires the observation of the body through looking, touching, smelling and listening. One of the primary diagnostic methods is pulse taking. It takes fifteen years to master this delicate art.

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Today, acupuncture enjoys great pupularity in China and many parts of the world. Acupuncture, the ancient medical art offers a well-tested health practice. It is inexpensive, safe and effective against many types of physical and mental illness. __ (Velayudhan Features)

Word Power-1 to 30

Choose the correct meaning for the word given in bold letters:

1. blacken : a) discredit, b) debar, c) force, d) condemn
2. chunk : a) chapel, b) lump or piece, c) courageous, d) joyless
3. Dauntless : a) atrocious, b) obsolete, c) courageous, d) joyless
4. haven : a) ruin, b) screen, c) perception, d) shelter
5. mediate : a) survey, b) settle a dispute, c) propose, d) ramble
6. Patch : a) plot or field, b) distress, c) stamina, d) permit
7. rally : a) call together, b) roam, c) push firmly, d) scour
8. scant : a) bad, b) insufficient, c) improper, d) tasteless
9. thicken : a) warm up, b) menance, c) make thick, d) pulsate
10. unmatched : a) unequivocal, b) absolute, c) complete, d) unequalled
11. Ancillary:a) Analogical; b) Subordinate; c) Bold; d) Conventional.
12. Annihilate: a) Interesting; b) Downward;, c) Destroy Completely; d) Lubricate
13. Antagonistic : a) Hostile; b) Pluralistic; c) Mockery; d) Otherwise
14. Animadvert : a) Needy; b) Hospitality; c) Make remarks; d) Notation.
15. Alien : a) Difficult; b)Precious; c) Differing in nature or character; d) Unnatural.
16. Allude : a) Mention; b) Separation; c) Dazzling; d) Convey.
17. Allusion: a) Chivalry; b) Choosy; c) Indirect reference; d) Unburden.
18. Amenable: a) Decline; b) Responsive; c) Defective; d) Infuse.
19. Antique: a) Convention; b) Delicacy;, c) Interlink; d) Existing since old times.
20. Aplomb: a) Diffidence; b) Self-Confidence; c)Selfish; d) Entrant.
21. Appertain: a) Give up; b) Offence; c) Be appropriate; d) Entertain.
22. Asperity: a) Roughness or Harshness; b) Productivity; c) Gradient; d) Shoddy.
23. Amenity: a) Authority; b) Deity; c) Lonely; d) Pleasantness.
24. Amiable : a) Prosperous; b) Observant; c) Lunatic; d) Kind-hearted
25. Abase: a) Chronic disease; b) Faithful; c) Humiliate or degrade one self; d) Uncouth
26. Abdicate : a) Give up a high office or authority; b) Organise; c) Disapprove; d) Misapply.
27. Abundant : a) Cancel; b) Plentiful; c) Apperance; d) Refusal.
28. Actuate : a) Discharge; b) Cause to act; c) Cordage; d) Copy
29. Adjure : a) Jointly; b) Pressurise; c) Educate; d) Ask somebody earnestly or solemnly.
30. Aghast : a) Precise; b) Filled with fear or surprise; c) Consist; d) Console.


Answers:

1) a, 2) b, 3) c, 4) d, 5) b, 6) a, 7) a, 8) b, 9) c, 10) d
11. b) Ancillary means subordinate. The transport corps is ancillary to the infantry in Army.
12. c) Annihilate means destroy completely. Radio communication has annihilated space.
13. a) Antagonistic means hostile. Israel's attitude towards Palestine is antagonistic.
14. c) Animadvert means making remarks. One should always avoid animadverting on others.
15. c) Alien means differing in nature or character. These principles are alien to our religion.
16. a) Allude means mention. In your remarks you allude to certain sinister developments.
17. c) Allusion means indirect reference. His speeches are full of classical allusions which few people understand.
18. b) Amenable means responsive. Do you find the new medical batch amenable?
19. d) Antique means existing from old times. The students of the Aligarh University put on sherwani as antique.
20. b) Aplomb means self-confidence. One should always read good books to develop aplomb.
21. c) Appertain means be appropriate. A good examinee must appertain during the last hour of the examination.
22. c) Asperity means roughness or harshness. There was a touch of asperity in his speech.
23. d) Amenity means pleasantness. We find Amenity in the climate of Bangalore.
24. d) Amiable means kind-hearted. I have always found him a most amiable fellow.
25. c) Abase means humiliate or degrade oneself. One should not abase oneself for petty gains.
26. a) Abdicate means giving up a high office or authority. Kind Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England in 1936.
27. b) Abundant means plentiful. Now we have got abundant proof of his guilt.
28. b) Actuate means cause to act. A great statesman is actuated by love of his country, not by love of power.
29. d) Adjure means ask somebody earnestly or solemnly. I adjure you to tell the truth before the committee.
30. b) Aghast means filled with fear or surprise. He stood aghast at the terrible sight.

General Knowledge-12

1. What is meant by the term "Midnight Sun"?
a) Twlilght b) Very bright moon c) Rising Sun d) Sun Shining in the polar circles

2. Now-a-days Soyabean is cultivated on a large scale in many places because,
a) It is rich in Vitamins b) It can be used a staple food c) It is a source of high quality protein d) It is cheap and easier to cook.

3. Who was called the "Flying Sikh"?
a) Malwinder Singh b) Milkha Singh c) Makhan Singh d) Ajmer Singh

4. Which of the following does not share a border with india?
a) Pakistan b) Bangladesh c) Myanmar (Burma) d) Afghanistan

5. 'Glaucoma' is a disease related to which of the following organs of the human body?
a) Heart b) Ears c) Eyes d) Lungs

6. Which one of the following is the industry in which the largest number of women are employed in india? a) Jute b)Tea c) Coal d) Textile

7. Which one of the following thinkers did not influence Mahatma Gandhi?
a) Leo Tolstoy b) Henry Thoreau c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale d) Leon Trostsky

8. Sanjukta Panigrahi is an exponent of which of the following?
a) Painting b) Acting c) Dance d) Music

9. Which of the Bills can become law inspite of disapproval of the Rajya Sabha?
a) Bill relating to social reforms, b) Constitution amendment bill c) Bills relating to concurrent subjects d) Finance Bills

10. Homer was the greatest poet of the language name:
a) Latin b) Spanish c) Greek d) Turkish

11. The first medicinal patent was made in 1698 for Epsom Salt.

12. In Mohini Bhasmasura, the 1913 Dada Saheb Phalke film, women appeared before the camera for the first time on the screen in india.

13.

Answers:__

1) d, 2) c, 3) b, 4) d, 5) c, 6) b, 7) d, 8) c, 9) d, 10) c