The technique of acupuncture is achieved with solid, thin, metallic needles. These needles are placed into the skin at certain points on the body. Acupuncture practitioners believe that by placing these needles at certain planned points on the body, that the body will rebalance its Qi. Once the needles are placed into the body, they are manipulated by hand or electrically to achieve the best results. The practitioner may twirl the needle or move it gently by hand. The practitioner may also apply heat to the needle or use mild electrical pulses to enhance the effect.
Medical researchers do not fully understand why acupuncture has the effect that it does on the body. Some believe the body releases chemicals which affect the central nervous system. These chemicals cause the blood pressure to regulate and the blood to flow more regularly. While there have been many different hypotheses as to why acupuncture achieves the results that it does, there is no concrete scientific evidence to support these hypotheses. Even without scientific evidence to support the use of acupuncture, it is still widely used as a technique of relieving pain and some diseases.
Acupuncture may sometimes be used in cohesion with a medical plan already in place. It may also be used as a stand-alone therapeutic technique to alleviate pain. Patients who are receiving chemotherapy or patients who have had surgery sometimes use acupuncture. These patients use acupuncture remedies to alleviate the nausea and vomiting that comes as a side effect to their treatment.
Acupuncture may be used on patients who are recovering and rehabilitating from a stroke. Another issue that acupuncture may be helpful with is the symptoms of addiction. Acupuncture may be helpful in overcoming the withdrawal symptoms that come with addiction recovery. Another disease that acupuncture helps to relieve the symptoms of is asthma.
Some of the more painful diseases that acupuncture can help with are:
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches and Migraines
- Severe menstrual cramps
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Osteoarthritis
Most women suffer monthly with menstrual cramps during their cycle. Tennis elbow is a problem that causes the outside of the elbow to become very sore and tender. Carpal tunnel syndrome is when a nerve becomes entrapped in the wrist which can lead to pain and numbness in the hand.
Another painful disease is osteoarthritis. This disease causes many painful symptoms such as joint pain and swelling. It may also cause stiffness and locking in the joints. This is due to the degradation of the joints by the arthritis. Many patients use the Chinese technique to relieve the painful symptoms that come along with these diseases. Acupuncture may not be used by itself to cure the disease, but some practitioners will use it along with other treatment options to give the patient better relief of pain and suffering.
There have been many different studies as to the effect acupuncture has on these different diseases and illnesses and conflicting reports have been concluded. Some reports show some relief from symptoms while other reports show that there is no scientific evidence that acupuncture has helped with the symptoms at all.
Some researchers believe that the patient's attitude towards acupuncture also affects the outcome of the study. While acupuncture has been around for many centuries there still seems to be little known about the technique. Some practitioners have forsaken the old ways of the Chinese for more modern methods of treatment; while others still use acupuncture in hopes of relief from the diseases that ravage their bodies.
Robert Vena
NJ Acupuncturist
Acupuncture-in-NJ.com
