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Alternative medicine is a very general term whose definition can be
very controversial. Basically, it is many holistic techniques for
preventing and treating illnesses. Acupuncture, and many other
therapies, have long been a part of Asian cultures and have recently
been integrated into the Western culture. Since Acupuncture is such an
important tradition in China, it has gained much respect from other
cultures.
Acupuncture is a strong component in China, and can be traced to
their health care system for at least 2,500 years. The procedure
involves inserting hair-thin steel surgical needles into specific
points in the body which are supposed to make you feel better, and be
healthier. This is only the technical aspect though. To understand the
"art" of this procedure, you must have a background on Chinese
medicine. How it works is this: health is achieved though the balance
of the opposing forces between "yin" (spirit), and "yang" (blood). The
attraction between them creates an energy called "Qi" (pronounced
chee). This energy flows to all parts of the body through channels
which are known as "meridians" (pathways that run along the surface of
the body and branch into the body's interior). An imbalance in these
forces is what is believed to cause illness and disease. When needles
are placed on the acupuncture points along the meridians, balance, and
hence, health is restored. There are several styles of acupuncture, the
differences being how the acupuncture points are stimulated (be it by
hand pressure, electrical impulse, ultrasound, or wavelengths of light).
Acupuncture was introduced to American doctors by Sir William Osler,
who is often called the father of modern medicine. In a classic medical
textbook written more than a century ago, he said, "For lumbago,
acupuncture is, in acute cases, the most efficient treatment." The
first time acupuncture really got notice wasn't until 1972. James
Reston, a New York Times correspondent, was assigned to cover President
Nixon's now historic trip to China. During his stay, Reston had to have
an emergency appendectomy, and was treated with acupuncture for the
postoperative pain he had to endure. The report of his experience with
acupuncture caught the interest of many American doctors who wanted to
see how the Chinese used acupuncture as an anesthetic. Many
non-physicians went to train overseas or with acupuncturists who had
been silently practicing in the States, in many Asian communities.
These people then fought to gain laws that would allow acupuncture to
be practiced legally.
Still, the Western medical establishment is not totally convinced
that any alternative medicines really work, therefore techniques such
as acupuncture are not popular nor widely taught in medical school.
They are also not generally available in hospitals. Alternative
practicioners, in order to compromise and be more flexible on the issue
of alternative medicine, use the term "complementary medicine." This
shows a partnership between Western and Eastern-based options.
The World Health Organization (WHO), lists a variety of different
medical conditions that can benefit from the use of acupuncture. This
list includes prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting ( also
due to chemotherapy and pregnancy) ; treatment of pain; addictions to
alcohol, tabacco, and other substances; treatment of pulmonary problems
such as asthma and bronchitis; and rehabilitation from neurological
damage, such as by a stroke. Other conditions commonly treated by
acupuncture are: allergies; anxiety; depression; myofascial and low
back/neck/shoulder/knee pain; musculoskeletal conditions (such as
fibromyalgia); arthritis; osteoarthritis; bladder/kidney problems;
postoperative pain and nausea; cough; gynecological disorders;
headache; migraine; fatigue; high blood pressure; sexual dysfunction;
stress; tension; and vision problems.
Like in other treatments, there will always be some people that are
poor responders to specific acupuncture protocols. The amount of people
that are poor responders is very low, as suggested by animal and human
laboratory and clinical experiences which show that the majority of the
subjects tested respond to acupuncture.
There are many advantages to acupuncture. One is that it can
supposedly treat so many illnesses. Another was the point mentioned
above, that most people respond well to this treatment. The main
advantage, though, is that it has substantially less side effects than
that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the
same conditions. Adverse side effects are much lower in acupuncture
than those caused by drugs or other legal, accepted medical procedures
used for the same conditions. An example would be that of the tennis
elbow. The treatment of acupuncture for this condition could be very
beneficial. But this condition is often treated with, among other
things, anti-inflammatory medications (such as aspirin or ibuprofen) or
with steroid injections. Both of those treatments have a potential for
deleterious side effects, but still their use is widespread and are
considered to be acceptable methods of treatment.
As with any medical procedure, though, acupuncture is not risk-free,
but complications caused by acupuncture are very uncommon. A major
concern (though quite rare) is infection. One must check to make sure
that they are being treated with disposable surgical steel needles
because, according to a study that was done, about 35% of practitioners
use improperly sterilized needles. Some other reported problems are
isolated lung and bladder punctures, broken needles, and allergic
reactions to needles that are not made of surgical steel. Acupuncture
may also stimulate the production of hormones in pregnant women which
help induce labor early, and can be harmful to the fetus in early
pregnancy. However, these cases are very few, almost rare. In the hands
of a good, professional acupuncturist, the risk of such complications
is extremely low.
Since these complications are almost non-existant, acupuncture has
begun to be accepted as a real medical treatment. In 1996, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed acupuncture needles from the
category of "experimental" medical devices. Now the surgical steel
needles used for acupuncture are regulated just as other devices are,
such as surgical scalpels and hypodermic syringes. They are under good
manufacturing practices and single-use standards of sterility.
In November of 1997, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) Office
of Alternative Medicine and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of
Research was convened to address important issues regarding the ancient
Chinese therapy of acupuncture. They organized a conference to evaluate
the scientific and medical data and research on the uses, risks, and
benefits of acupuncture procedures for a variety of conditions.
Cosponsors of this conference were t he National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
the National Cancer Institute, the National of Arthritis and
Mosculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of Dental
Research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Office of
Research on Women's Health of the NIH. The fact that the panel was
convened by the central pillar of the U.S. research establishment shows
how much respectability acupuncture has really gained among Western
scientists and doctors. What the panel concluded definitely takes
acupuncture off the "quackery" list. The NIH panel's consensus
statement concluded that acupuncture:
"Clearly works to treat a number of conditions, including nausea
from chemotherapy, surgery and pregnancy, and pain after surgery
(including dental surgery).”
May also be an effective adjunct therapy for a number of other
conditions, including stroke rehabilitation, relieving addictions,
headaches, menstrual cramps, a variety of muscle pains, carpal tunnel
syndrome, tennis elbow, low back pain, osteoarthritis, and asthma.
Acupuncture has substantially lower incidence of adverse side
effects than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures
used for the same conditions.
Should be integrated into standard medical practice and be covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies."
Now, the practice of acupuncture has grown in the United States.
There are now more than 50 schools of acupuncture across the U.S., 21
of which are accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Also, over
40 states have laws and regulations governing the practice of
acupuncture. The medical branch of the United Nations, the WHO ( World
Health Organization), issued a provisional list of 41 diseases
responsive to acupuncture treatment.
In the United States, acupuncture is performed by thousands of
physicians, dentists and acupuncturists. This number is still growing.
It has been reported that more than a million Americans currently
receive acupunture each year, and according to the 1993 Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) report, between nine and 12 million visits to
acupuncturists are made every year- a number that has no doubt risen
since then.
In the last decade, research has emanated from the very bastions of
conventional medicine, including the National Institutes of Health,
Oxford University and Boston University School of Medicine, giving some
Western insight into how acupuncture works. The studies made suggest
that acupuncture dramatically controls pain because the stimulation of
the specific acupuncture points affects the nervous system, activating
the release of endorphins and enkephalins (natural pain-killing
chemical substances similar to morphine). Other research suggests that
acupuncture may also encourage the release of certain brain hormones,
including serotonin, which transmits nerve impulses. Acupuncture may
also be found to cause the pituitary gland to discharge pain-blockers
and to initiate a process that releases anti-inflammatory agents into
the bloodstream.
For many acupuncturists though, this explanation isn't sufficient
since activating the release of endorphins would require a certain
amount of needle stimulation. This though, does not happen in all
styles of acupuncture, and all of the styles of acupuncture have been
proven to be effective. The problem, they declare, is that you cannot
understand acupuncture from a Western perspective. The Western point of
view tries to segregate parts of the whole "art" of acupuncture without
considering abounding factors that may affect the individual. These
factors are the individual's environment, nutrition, emotional and
psychological status, and medical history.
Therefore, although acupuncture will probably be forever integrated
into the Western medical practices, we can never know how this
treatment works and why. What we do know, though, is that it does work.
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