Acupuncture Basic
The following article is written by the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance
Modern research and international health organizations agree that acupuncture is a safe and highly effective treatment for many conditions, The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture and Oriental medicine as effective for over 43 common ailments including:
Digestive Difficulties, such as food allergies, peptic ulcer, chronic diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, gastrointestinal weakness, anorexia, and gastritis.
Bladder Disorders, including incontinence, urinary infections, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Reproductive Issues such as irregular, heavy, or painful menstruation, infertility in women and men, breach births, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and sexual dysfunction
Breathing Problems, such as emphysema, sinusitis, asthma, allergies, and bronchitis
Pain, such as arthritis, migraine headaches, neuralgia, dizziness, and low back, neck, dental, and shoulder pain
Circulatory Problems, such as hypertension, angina pectoris, arteriosclerosis, and anemia
Emotional Issues, including depression, insomnia, and anxiety
Addictions, such as alcohol, nicotine, and drugs
Supportive Therapy, reduces nausea, vomiting, and pain after adult post-operative and chemotherapy, nausea and vomiting in post-operative dental pain, and many chromic conditions
How does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture is based on the idea that health is determined by a balanced flow of Qi, (pronounced chee) or energy. Qi is circulated through the body via energy pathways called meridians. Each of these meridians through which Qi flows is linked to an internal organ system. There are over 1,000 acupoints in the meridian system that can be stimulated to enhance the flow of Qi. Acupuncture addresses illness by finding and repairing low levels and blockages of Qi in the body’s meridians.
Special needles are inserted into the acupoints, which are located just below the skin. Inserting these needles helps correct the flow of energy within the body, relieving pain and restoring health.
Will I get better?
Many conditions are alleviated very rapidly by acupuncture. However, conditions that have arisen over many years require a longer course of treatment.
As in any form of healing, the patient’s attitude affects the outcome of a course of treatment. Patients are always encouraged to participate in their healing process, In some cases, practitioners may recommend herbs or dietary, exercise, or lifestyle changes.
Is Acupuncture painful?
Acupuncture rarely causes pain. Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible, about the diameter of a human hair. In most cases, insertion by a skilled practitioner is performed without discomfort.
A patient may experience a sense of heaviness or electricity in the area of insertion. Most patients find the treatments very relaxing and many fall asleep during treatment. A patient’s reaction to acupuncture treatment is as unique as the patient. If a patient has any questions or concerns about what to expect during treatment, the best way to find out is to ask the practitioner.
Is acupuncture Safe?
When perfprmrd by a qualified professional, acupuncture is one of the safest medical procedures in the world. A licensed and certified practitioner is one who has completed a three to four year program at a nationally-approved school, passed national certification exams, and actively seeks education. A licensed and certified practitioner’s office carries liability insurance like most other healthcare professionals.
In the hands of a trained and licensed acupuncturist, your safety is assured. Acupuncture needles are sterile and disposed of after treatments. When utilized, moxibustion (or moxa for short) is always directly supervised by a practitioner, as are electro-stimulation and cupping.
Safe, Effective, Cost Saving Patient Care
“One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the same conditions.”
“Acupuncture focuses on a holistic, energy-based approach to the patient rather than a disease-oriented diagnostic and treatment model.”
1997 NIH Consensus Development Conference
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is a complex form of medicine that has been practiced in several countries around the world for thousands of years. As a result, there are many valid schools of thought and traditions within the profession.
In order to obtain the best health care, you should seek a practitioner who has been comprehensively trained in acupuncture. It is recommended to speak with a practitioner about the outcome you expect from acupuncture.
More than 44 states have passed statutes or regulations setting standards for the practice of acupuncture by professional acupuncturists. If you live in a regulated state, you should seek a Licensed, Registered, or Certified Acupuncturist. If you live in an unregulated jurisdiction, it would be best to locate an individual licensed in another state or certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Traditional Acupuncture: A Holistic View
by Carlos Durana, Ph.D., M.Ac., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
Our view of the world affects how we define health and disease. Centuries ago science looked at time, space and man in static terms, relegating man to the status of something mechanical, quite distinct and separate from nature and the universe. Challenging this limiting view is a modern view of science that does not see a world of separate and disconnected objects, but rather a world which is an indivisible whole. No longer considered to be separate from nature and the cosmos, man is a microcosm of the macrocosm in the world where there is distinction and separateness.
In a Holistic view, we sense unity and oneness, not only with the world but within ourselves. In this context, disease is no longer seen as bad and health as good, but rather both are seen as natural and necessary components of our process of growth and learning.
This view of man is consistent with that held in the system of treatment known as acupuncture. Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (T.C.A.) concerns itself with the individual and his or her whole being. The practitioner of Traditional Acupuncture considers the physical body, the mind and the spirit as one unity and recognizes the unique relationship we as individuals have with our environments. During diagnosis and treatment, the concept of Traditional Acupuncture involves understanding the unity of body, mind and spirit and allows for recognizing that a symptom may have its cause in any level of our being. The practitioner attempts to treat the underlying malfunctions. With such treatment, symptoms disappear of their own accord.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest systems of healing known to man, with its origins dating back 4,000 years in China. Acupuncture is based on the laws governing nature and the universe. Its theory, laws, and methods of application to the human body appeared first in manuscript from around 400 BC in the Nei Ching or The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. This treatise examines the functions of the human body and and its diseases as well as the causes of disease, the laws of acupuncture, and guidelines for daily living and for the maintenance of health in accordance with natural laws.
Today, the ancient practice has been adopted throughout the world. Acupuncture first became popular in the United States in the 1970’s, particularly after Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. Currently, more than 9,000 acupuncturists are practicing in the US, 31 states regulate the practice of acupuncture, and more than 29 schools of acupuncture are operational. In addition Congress’ recent mandate to create the Office of Alternative Medicine at N.I.H. will generate new research in the field of acupuncture.
The Chinese tradition recognizes the uniqueness of every human being. Rather than generalizing and stereotyping, practitioners see the beauty in subtle differences and distinctions within the vast unity. No two people are treated the same with T.C.A., even if their symptoms are similar. If we ask five individuals to describe the sensations they feel associated with their asthma, for instance, we would no doubt hear five different, unique and individual responses. A patient’s description of his or her physical symptoms can give insights into his or her emotional and mental health. Someone who describes asthma with phrases such as “I can’t breathe; I feel like I’m drowning” may be revealing feelings of being emotionally or mentally overwhelmed, as well as physically “drowning”.
How we would describe illness is one of many indicators that can provide useful information about the state of our health on all levels. In Oriental medicine, there is no distinction between physical, emotional, mental and spiritual symptoms. If an individual is continually grieving, there will be a manifestation of this grief on the physical level involving the lungs or the colon. Similarly, if there is disease in the lungs or colon, there may be an inappropriate expression of grief and sadness. The practitioner of T.C.A. tailors treatment for each patient to best fit that individuals physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. In this way, he or she treats the person, not the disease.
The practice of Traditional Acupuncture is very different from that of First Aid Acupuncture, Acupuncture Anesthesia and Formula or Local Doctor Acupuncture.
First Aid Acupuncture uses specific acupuncture points to relieve particular symptoms during emergency situations, such as shock, fainting or an acute earache.
Acupuncture Anesthesia is a recent treatment development in which acupuncture points are used to create an analgesic effect on a specific part of the body where surgery is to be performed. Western researchers have found that Acupuncture Anesthesia releases the brain’s endorphins, the body’s own morphine-like substance. This type of acupuncture is also beneficial in reducing pain during childbirth as well as pain from terminal illness.
Formula or Local Doctor Acupuncture uses specific formulas of points to relieve chronic symptoms, analogous in Western medical practice to prescribing a specific drug for a given symptom. The formula approach to acupuncture, however, is limited because it does not relate the symptom to the overall well-being of the individual.
HOW DOES TRADITIONAL ACUPUNCTURE WORK? Qi ENERGY
According to T.C.A., it is the vital force called Qi energy that controls the functioning of not only the main organs and systems of the body but also its mental, emotional and spiritual processes. Qi energy circulates throughout the body along specific pathways, a system of pathways distinct from the nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems. Qi energy must flow freely and in the correct quantity and quality for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual processes to function properly. In all illnesses it is the flow of this vital energy that is impaired. Restoring health is dependent on the restoration of Qi energy.
To understand better the balance and harmony in Qi energy, or lack thereof, let us look at the analogy of an irrigated field. If one of the irrigation ditches becomes blocked or dammned up, the restriction in the flow will cause flooding in one area of the field and drought in another. Similarly, in humans the flow of Qi energy can also be blocked, creating excesses in deficiencies. These “blocks” can come about as a result of physical, mental or emotional trauma. Just as water can look clear and fell soft or look cloudy and feel gritty, Qi takes on quality characteristics giving many clues as to the state of disease and the origin of distress.
Without balance and harmony of the Qi energy, there is disease. Any disease, any symptom, whether it be physical, mental or spirtual, according to T.C.A., is a result of the Qi energy going awry. The work of the practitioner is to assess the state of the Qi, to locate the “blocks” and areas of distress in the system and then to help restore balance before more devastating symptoms occur.
Today, there are two main diagnostic frameworks used in treatment; sometimes they are combined. The practitioners of Five Element T.C.A pay attention to five principal avenues of information. These are color (the subtle hues in the face), the sound qualities of the voice, the subtle odors emitted from the body, the inappropriateness of emotions, and the pulses of each of the twelve major pathways of Qi energy. In addition to these five signals, the individual’s medical history and information such as dreams, preferences for taste and certain seasons as well as body language-all aid the practitioner in defining the cause of the illness. Practitioners who use the Eight Guiding Principles as a diagnostic framework, make use of tongue diagnosis as well as symptom patterns; in this tradition, patterns of disharmony are identified using such criteria as hot/cold, internal/external, yin/yang, deficiency/excess, and classifications of organs and substances.
From the point of view of Western medicine, it appears that the effects of acupuncture can best be explained by some sort of neurotransmitter mechanism that is linked to the release of endorphins (substances involved in analgesia, endocrinology, immunology and emotional well being) by the brain and the body.
HOW IS ACCUPUNCTURE PREFORMED?
Traditional Acupuncture treatments are carried out by gently inserting very thin, flexible needles into specific points on the body. These needles are no thicker than two or three strands of hair. Most acupuncture points lie about one-fourth to one inch beneath the skin. When the point in contacted, there is a slight, momentary sensation. After insertion, the needles are manipulated and taken out, or left twenty to forty-five minutes, depending on the effect desired.
Heat may be applied to acupuncture points with moxa, made from the herb Artemisia vulgaris latflora.
WHAT ILLNESSES CAN TRADITIONAL ACUPUNCTURE HELP?
Traditional acupuncture can be applied to many conditions. Research studies suggest that it is useful with pain related problems, menstrual disorders, breathing disorders and addictions. The World Health Organization lists 32 conditions that lend themselves to acupuncture treatment (neurologic, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and respiratory). Emotional disorders are also amenable to treatment. Acupuncture is not recommended in emergency situations resulting from accidents or for conditions when surgical intervention is necessary. When disease has progressed to the point where the patient cannot be helped, acupuncture can be used to relieve pain and suffering. For each patient, the practitioner must decide if acupuncture is the best form of treatment.
The focus of acupuncture is the person, not the disease. Balancing Ch’i energy can enhance our well-being, our quality of life, and it can prevent disease.
CHOOSING AN ACUPUNCTURIST
Several guidelines may be useful in choosing an acupuncturist. A minimum of two years of study from an accredited institution is essential. National certification from the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists is required by many states. If the practitioner is viewing the whole person while considering the symptoms, he or she would include the use of traditional assessment procedures such as pulse diagnosis. Sterile procedures, such as using disposable needles, avoid transferring disease. Just as with other medical professions, ethical practices, such as not making misleading claims, are relevant. Most importantly, good client-practitioner rapport is essential. Often the best guideline for choosing an acupuncturist is recommendation from an acquaintance.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the practitioner does not heal, but rather assists the innate self-regulating mechanisms, which are responsible for restoring and maintaining balance and harmony on our health. It is through Ch’i energy, the integrative force, that the unity inherent in each of us can be reestablished.
“The doctor of Acupuncture must strive to see his patient not as he is at the time of examination, but as he would be if he were whole and perfect in body, mind and spirit, with every possibility of his “unique being” realized” (Worsley,1973).