Acupuncture Treatment Guide

Acupuncture, An Effective Alternative Treatment for What Ails You

Acupuncture Benefits

When you live with pain

For those of us who live with pain or suffer some other affliction, perhaps depression, anxiety, allergies, whatever, while we would, of course, prefer to find a cure, sometimes the degeneration of our joints, or other parts of the body, does not allow that possibility and we must turn to other options for relief.

 When conventional medicine has failed to relieve our suffering, it is not unusual to check out alternative forms of treatment, such as chiropractic and acupuncture, both recognized by health authorities as valid procedures that merit consideration.

This article makes reference to the benefits of acupuncture with general comments about the process, other articles on this website address some of the other ailments mentioned above.

Acupuncture has a revered and ancient history, dating as it does from some time before the Christian era, perhaps from at least 200 BCE although there is not yet full agreement on its origins.

Acupuncture originated in China as part of a holistic system of medicine that is commonly now referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture involves the insertion of ultra-thin needles into various points in the body, and is used especially to treat pain in its many forms, but also to treat disease in general, including conditions of anxiety, depression, and infertility, among others. Acupuncture is also practiced as a preventative measure to promote good health.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds with the idea that illness and injury are caused or worsened by blockages in the body’s energy flow—a concept embraced by the Chinese word “qi” (pronounced “chee”). Insertion of needles through the skin at various points on the body called “meridians” are said to remove these blockages and improve the flow of qi which returns the body to a state of homeostasis or balance, which is reckoned to be the most healthful state. Acupuncture is seen less as a force of healing on its own than an aid to the body healing itself via restoration of the proper flow of energy.

There is little Western scientific theory to support the existence of qi or acupuncture meridians, but there is a good deal of scientific data and anecdotal evidence that attests to the efficacy of the practice. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies no less than 28 conditions where acupuncture treatment has been found effective based on the organization’s analysis of reports from clinical trials. Among these are: adverse reactions to radiation and chemotherapy, billiard colic, depression, nausea, morning sickness, headache, lower back pain, post operative pain, sciatica, stroke, sprains, induction of labor, rheumatoid arthritis and neck pain. WHO has further identified 60+ conditions and diseases where acupuncture has been noted to have a therapeutic effect, but which need more study to be documented fully.

While the mechanisms involved and the reasons for acupuncture’s effectiveness are not well understood, the practice has been gaining popularity in the United States and is increasingly used not only as a primary form of treatment but also as a complementary treatment option in conjunction with more traditional concepts of Western Medicine.

There are many documented benefits of acupuncture. Among these are:

• When practiced by a trained and licensed provider it is safe and hygienic
• There are very few recorded side effects from the procedure itself
• Well documented in controlling pain, acupuncture can reduce reliance on some medications that may be associated with undesirable side effects and risks of addiction
• Acupuncture is claimed to strengthens the immune system, although the mechanism for this is not well understood, a strong immune system is the first line of defense in preventing illness
• Psychological disorders, specifically mood disorders respond well to acupuncture, reducing reliance on medications which again can have serious and debilitating side effects; when used in concert with cognitive and talk therapies, acupuncture is especially effective.
• Acupuncture has been proven to increase blood circulation and reduce inflammation -- which makes it especially effective for injuries and conditions that are often made more painful by the body’s inflammatory processes.
• Acupuncture is especially effective for stress relief
• Respiratory ailments such as allergies, asthma, sinusitis and rhinitis respond well to acupuncture treatments
• Insomnia, often caused by pain, inflammation, and stress,  responds well to acupuncture therapy and reduces reliance for sleep promoting drugs.

While often the fact that something that sounds too good to be true generally means that it is, acupuncture stands as a documented viable form of so called “alternative medicine” that is worth considering, especially for those dealing with chronic pain in all its forms.  Due to its lack of toxicity when compared to more traditional Western medical drug treatment, especially for chronic conditions such as arthritis where cortico-steroids are often the only viable effective medication (and which carry substantial health risks and toxicity factors in their use), acupuncture can be seen as a means by which to gain relief without poisoning the body.  

In an age where we are conditioned to reduce pain and suffering by reaching for a pill bottle or undergoing potentially life threatening invasive surgical procedures, acupuncture may best be seen as a non invasive first court of resort, with minimal risks and a great deal of potential benefit to offer.