Can Acupuncture Help You?

Author: Liz Langdon

Article:
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used holistic
healing methods in the world. The method originated in China
more than 2,000 years ago and is one of the basic healing arts
in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The practice of Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine,
solid metallic needles into specific points along special
pathways that run throughout the human body.

These specific points are called acupuncture points or
"acupoints." The special pathways are called "meridians" or
"channels."

Once the needles are inserted into the acupoints, they are
manipulated by hand (plucked, twisted) or by low-voltage
electricity.

The symptoms or the type of illness the patient has determine
which acupoints are selected for treatment.

According to TCM, the stimulation of the acupoint by the
acupuncture needle releases or energizes the flow of "Qi," the
vital energy or life force of the body. As the flow of Qi
returns to normal, the health of the body is re-established.

Acupuncture as a treatment method has undergone many clinical
studies in the Western World. The method has gained medical
approval for many specific treatments, although modern science
has yet to explain "how it works."

One of the most common uses is for prevention and management of
post-operative nausea and vomiting (Anaesthesia 2004 Feb;
59 (2): 142-9).

Several studies have also found that acupuncture significantly
reduces nausea and vomiting for cancer patients receiving
chemotherapy (Integrative Cancer Therapies 2005 June; 4
(2): 131-43).

Acupuncture significantly improved fatigue and anxiety in a
study of fibromyalgia patients (Mayo Clinical Proceedings
2006 Sep; 8: (9)).

In another clinical trial, patients with osteoarthritis of the
knee showed improvement in function and pain relief after 26
weeks of acupuncture treatment (Annals of Internal
Medicine 2004 Dec 21; 141 (12): 901-10).

Patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain reported being
pain free at least 12 months out of 24 and had been less likely
to use pain medication with acupuncture treatments (Health
Technology Assessment 2005 Aug; 9 (32): iii-iv, ix-x, 1-108).

In a report from Norway in 2002, women in normal, active labor
were offered acupuncture as a means of pain control instead of
traditional pain relief such as an epidural. The results showed
that not only did acupuncture reduce the pain experienced during
labor, it also reduced delivery time (Acta Obstetricia et
Gynecologica Scandinavica 2002 Oct; 81 (10): 943-8).

Many additional studies are posted on the PubMed website
accessible through the http://www.nccam.nih.gov">National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Today's medical establishment has a difficult time accepting a
treatment that seems to work, but has no scientific
documentation on how it works. This viewpoint keeps a
viable alternative method of pain control from being prescribed.
A larger percentage of the population should be receiving the
benefit of this natural, holistic treatment - acupuncture.

Regrettably, it is not.