To most Westerners, acupuncture
is mysterious, and many people are skeptical that it can actually do anything
to relieve pain or treat health issues.
The Chinese have been using acupuncture effectively for thousands of
years.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the term
“acupuncture” describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of
anatomical points on the body using a
variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves
penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical
stimulation.
I have
received acupuncture many times over the past 15 years or so. I have severe osteoarthritis that affects virtually every join in my
body. A couple months ago, I had a bad
fall, landing on my knees and ending up
with bruises from head to two. As a
result, I have had debilitating back pain and both my knees hurt so bad that I walk with a limp.
Having
recently moved to California, I searched for and found an acupuncturist
nearby. I have received several treatments over the past three weeks
or so. It turned out that my back pain
was due to inflammation of my
sacroiliac joints. My knees, particularly
my right knee, may be beyond help (without
surgery).
With each acupuncture treatment I had very thin, sterile
needles inserted on several spots on my sacroiliac joint, back and my right knee; I had moist heat
applied, using an hydroculator (a sort of quilted device filled with a
clay-like substance used for pain management); and
the acupuncturist massaged a liniment to all the sore areas.
My back/sacroiliac joint hurts only if I do too many
physical activities. My knees now hurt
much less, and the pain is no longer constant.
Scientific studies have proven that acupuncture can be used
to treat a wide variety of ailments and pain.
Some doctors even use acupuncture to relieve pain during surgical
procedures. Acupuncture cannot cure cancer, however, it can help to relieve the
pain it causes and ease the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Acupuncture can be used to treat skin
diseases, psychiatric and mental disturbances, relieving angina pectoris, and a
variety of heart problems.
I am not suggesting
that acupuncture is a cure-all. Not at
all. For serious health conditions,
acupuncture can be used in conjunction with
traditional medical treatment, not necessarily instead of.
Many
people believe it will not work, and thus think it cannot work for them. However, believing it will work has no effect on whether or not it will
be effective. I know a veterinarian who
treats horses with arthritis with
acupuncture and has seen remarkable results.
The horses do not believe or disbelieve it will work. It simply does.
Some
people are also afraid that acupuncture may be painful. I will not tell you there is never any discomfort; however, the needles used are
extremely fine, so you likely will not even feel it being inserted. The only distress I have felt is from what the
needles are meant to do… activate the body’s meridian paths where qi (pronounced
Chi - vital energy) and blood pool – in the same way that
water might pool. This pooling can cause pain and other
health issues.
If you are suffering from pain, in particular, you may want
to seek an acupuncturist. Do your
homework though. Don’t go to a
chiropractor that took a six-week course in acupuncture. Look at the provider’s background and
training. Many have four-year degrees in
Oriental Medicine.
To learn more about acupuncture, you may want to check it
out online.
(My company, Xpress Healthcare, offers acupuncture
discounts as part of one of our discount plans, however, at this time providers
are available only in major cities.)
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