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What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the gentle insertion of very fine needles specific points on the body. This process stimulates movement of energy within the body, allowing natural healing to take place. These points are selected based on years of training aupuncturist recieve, which is based on over 3,000 years of experience in China.
Acupuncture helps to prevent illness by improving the overall functioning the body's immune and organ systems. Acupuncture is helpful for:
•Treating existing illnesses and injuries.
•Preventing both recurrence of illnesses and new illness.
•Improving overall health.
•Acupuncture originated in China over 3,000 years ago. It is part of the holistic system of healing known as Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM").
How does Acupuncture work?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory
The Classical Chinese explanation is that energy (Qi) flows in channels (meridians) throughout the body and over its surfaces. These channels are rivers of energy, which are referred to as meridians. The Chinese have identified 71 meridians in the human body, which is a basic energy map for all people. The meridians are often compared to a series of interconnected highways. Each of the major organs in the body is associated with its own meridian. Through the network of meridians the internal organs are connected to certain areas and parts of the body including the muscles, bones, joints, and also other organs.
The Chinese believe that health is a manifestation of balance, both within the body itself and between the body and the external environment. When the body is internally balanced and in harmony with the external environment, Qi flows smoothly through the meridians to nourish the organs and tissues. If an obstruction occurs in one of the meridians, the Qi is disrupted and cannot flow properly. When the Qi cannot flow smoothly or is forced to flow in the opposite direction, the body's innate balance is disrupted and illness results.
Acupuncture points are the specific points on the meridians where the Qi is both concentrated and accessible. Acupuncture engages the Qi by inserting needles at these specific points, the goal being to restore the proper flow of Qi. As the body regains its natural balance, well-being returns.
Acupuncture and Modern Science
To the human body, acupuncture needles are a physical stimulus. In Western science, a stimulus is defined as a detectable change in either the external environment or within the body itself. When the body detects change, it produces a response. Although acupuncture is not yet fully understood by Western science, with modern technology scientists can now actually begin to "see" the body's response to acupuncture. For example, using an MRI (a very sophisticated x-ray), researchers have shown that when a needle is inserted at specific acupuncture points on the body, corresponding changes occur in the brain.
In the West, acupuncture is most well-known for its ability to relieve pain so the majority of research thus far has been done in this area. Acupuncture points are now believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release pain-relieving chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain. Acupuncture may also stimulate other chemicals to be released by the brain, including hormones that influence the self-regulating system of the body.
Summary
Chinese Oriental medicine has been around for thousands of years, and has provided us with a unique and holistic approach to help prevent and treat disease. Western science and Traditional Chinese Medicine ultimately rely on the body's natural healing ability to maintain health and protect against disease. Both have the same goal of helping a person stay healthy. Western science tends to use drugs and surgery as needed. Acupuncturists tend to use gentle needling and herbs. A combination of both systems creates an ideal environment of health and healing.
How can Acupuncture help?
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine complements conventional medicine. They are not substitutes for any conventional medical advice, medications or treatments. As a complement to conventional medicine, acupuncture can treat both acute and chronic problems such as insomnia, digestive and elimination problems, headaches, sleeping disorders, chronic pain, smoking and eating disorders, and much more.
Acupuncture can help to reduce or eliminate the need for medications for many conditions including narcotics and other pain-relievers, but your family doctor must always be consulted in such instances.
Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at illnesses from a different perspective than conventional medicine. The basic tenet of Chinese Medicine is that we have a life force that energizes all the metabolic activity in our bodies, and this life forces (often referred to as "qi" which is always moving and flowing). When qi flows unimpeded, we are healthy. When qi is blocked, we get pain and ultimately disease. The strategy of the Practitioner of Oriental Medicine is to find the areas of blocked energy, and help remove those blocks, which in turn helps the body return to its natural healthy state.
When you first enter an the office of an acupuncturist, the practitioner will sit with you and do an intake. The Chinese medical model is often very effective at treating hard to diagnose problems since it does not rely on having to know the biochemical reason for your condition, which is not known in most cases, particularly where blood tests and MRI's are normal. Even when blood tests show imbalances, it is not usually known why this is happenting.
This difference in perspective means that Traditional Chinese Medicine can often make sense of illnesses that Western medicine has difficulty treating. In cases where Western medicine may be limited to prescribing medication for symptom management, acupuncture may be able to intervene and encourage the body in a self-healing process. Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine is currently the fastest growing healing modality in the country.
The NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture
In 1997 the U.S. National Institutes of Health published a Consensus Statement on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of conditions. View the full Consensus.
The World Health Organization
In the hands of a well-trained practitioner, acupuncture has much broader applications beyond pain relief. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of common illnesses including:
•Upper Respiratory Tract
°Acute sinusitis
°Acute rhinitis
°Common Cold and Flu
°Acute tonsillitis
•Respiratory System
°Acute bronchitis
°Bronchial asthma (Most effective in children and uncomplicated conditions.)
•Eye Disorders
°Acute conjunctivitis
°Central Retinitis Myopia (in children)
°Cataracts (without complications)
•Mouth Disorders
°Toothache
°Post Extraction Pain
°Gingivitis
°Acute and Chronic Pharyngitis
•Gastrointestinal Disorders
°Spasms of esophagus
°Hiccough
°Gastroptosis
°Acute and Chronic Gastritis
°Gastric Hyperacidity
°Chronic Duodenal Ulcer (pain relief)
°Acute Duodenal Ulcer (without complications)
°Acute and Chronic Colitis
°Acute Bacillary Dysentery
°Constipation
°Diarrhea
°Paralytic Ileus
•Neurologic and Musculoskeletal Disorders
°Headache and Migraine
°Trigeminal Neuralgias
°Facial Palsy (early stage, i.e., within 3-6 months)
°Pareses Following a Stroke
°Peripheral Neuropathies
°Sequelae of Poliomyelitis (early stage, i.e., within 6 months)
°Meniere's Disease
°Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction
°Nocturnal Enuresis (bedwetting)
°Intercostal Neuralgia
°Cervicobrachial Syndrome
°Frozen Shoulder
°Tennis Elbow
°Sciatica
°Low Back Pain
°Osteoarthritis
°Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
°Back and Knee Pain
°Fibromyalgia
°Chronic Fatigue
°Sports Injuries and Pains
•Reproductive & Gynecological Conditions
°Premenstrual Syndrome
°Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps)
°Spotting and Excessive Bleeding
°Amenorrhea (Loss of Menstrual Period)
°Impotence
°Infertility
°Incontinence
°Prostatis
•Mental Emotional Problems
°Stress
°Anxiety
°Depression
°Insomnia
The World Health Organization Interregional Seminar compiled the above list of illnesses that may benefit from acupuncture treatment. The list is only a partial list and is based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research. The inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture's efficacy in treatment, since all conditions may vary in severity and response.
Source: World Health Organization. Viewpoint on Acupuncture. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1979. |
