What is acupuncture?
What are the Side Effects of acupuncture?
Does acupuncture have its limits?
Does acupuncture hurt?
What is treatment like?
Is acupuncture Safe?
How widely is acupuncture used in the
What does acupuncture treat?
What are the commonly treated conditions?
What does acupuncture feel like?
Does acupuncture work?
How might acupuncture work?
How much will acupuncture cost? Will it be covered by my insurance?
What should I expect during my first visit?
How many needles should be used in each treatment?
How long each session takes?
In which cases, acupuncture is inadvisable?
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture literally means 'needle piercing," the practice of inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupoints or acupuncture points) for therapeutic purposes. Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, the practitioners of acupuncture also use heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the points. The acupoints (acupuncture points) are stimulated to balance the movement of energy (qi) in the body to restore health.
What are the Side Effects of Acupuncture?
When performed by a properly trained and licensed practitioner, acupuncture is safe and effective, free from adverse or addictive side effects. Quite often, a sense of relaxation and well-being occurs during and after treatments. While undergoing therapy for one ailment, other problems may resolve concurrently. This is a common side benefit that again demonstrates the value of balancing the quality and quantity of "vital energy" within the entire person.
Does Acupuncture have its limits?
Oriental Medicine and acupuncture are powerful healing tools, but they are not panaceas nor the solution to every health care problem. Both Western and Oriental Medicine have their respective strengths and weaknesses, which is why in modern
Generally speaking, acute, life threatening conditions are best handled by Western medical doctors. Routine health problems and chronic conditions, for which drug therapy and surgery have not been effective, often benefit from Acupuncture / Oriental Medicine.
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Most people who have had acupuncture would describe it as virtually painless or far less painful than plucking out a hair. The sensations that follow range from nothing at all, to mild tingling, to slight numbness/itchiness, to electrical pulsations in areas distant from the site of insertion. All these sensations usually subside once the needles are removed. The needles used for acupuncture are much smaller that the standard hypodermic needle, do not draw blood and are solid, not hollow.
What is treatment like?
Most patients would say, "relaxing." Usually patients leave in less discomfort and are more functional than when they walked in. Sometimes the effects are too subtle to perceive, especially in the beginning of treatment. Yet after 5 to 10 treatments the improvements become more and more apparent.
Is Acupuncture Safe?
If performed by a qualified, conscientious practitioner, yes. Licensed Acupuncturists know the human anatomy well, and insert needles in a safe fashion. The instruments used to penetrate the skin are either pre-sterilized and disposable after a single use, or disinfected and sterilized in an autoclave, as surgical and dental instruments are, after each use.
The practitioner is well aware of the concern over infectious diseases, and takes every measure to insure cleanliness as all health care professional do.
Bleeding rarely occurs, unless done so on purpose in specific situations. Even then the amount is minimal and in no way dangerous.
How widely is acupuncture used in the
In the past two decades, acupuncture has grown in popularity in the
What does Acupuncture treat?
The rule of thumb is that acupuncture can treat anything that has not caused gross organ changes. However, this is not a hard-fast rule. Usually anything that western medicine cannot treat well, Oriental Medicine does. Many problems may be corrected before drugs or surgery are necessary. Pre- and post- surgical treatments will increase healing, reduce anesthesia side effects. Oriental Medicine addresses quality of life health issues, which surgery or modern Western medicine cannot correct.
- Pain -- from long standing chronic types to acute injury. Back and joint pain. Movement pain, adjunctive cancer/chemo pain and nausea.
- Stress and sleep disorders.
- Addictions and withdrawal.
- Dyslexia and Attention Deficit symptoms have lessened from special techniques.
- Immune --prevention and control of colds and flu, arthritis, chronic fatigue, HIV/AIDS, "feeling tired".
- Cardiovascular --high blood pressure, palpitations, poor circulation, cold feet.
- Respiratory -- Allergies (food and airborne), sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, airplane sickness.
- Digestive -- constipation, diarrhea, ulcers, poor digestion, heartburn, reflux, stress ulcers, bowel problems.
- Gynecological -- PMS, dysmenorhia, pain, cramping, fibrocystic breast disease, infertility, and male impotence.
What are the commonly treated conditions?
Commonly treated conditions include but not exclusive to:
Allergies/Asthma
Arthritis/Joint Problems
Bladder/Kidney Problems
Constipation/Diarrhea
Cough/Bronchitis
Drug Addiction/Smoking
Gynecological Disorders
Health Maintenance
High Blood Pressure
Infertility
Neck Pain/Stiffness
Paralysis/Numbness
Sexual Dysfunction
Stress/Tension
Vision Problems
Anxiety/Depression
Back Pain
Childhood Illness
Colds/Flu
Dizziness
Fatigue
Headache/Migraine
Heart Problems
Immune System Deficiency
Knee Pain
Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Sciatica
Shoulder Pain
Tendonitis
What does acupuncture feel like?
Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin. People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people are energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed. Improper needle placement, movement of the patient, or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain during treatment. 4 This is why it is important to seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner.
Does acupuncture work?
According to the NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size, as well as difficulties with choosing and using placebos or sham acupuncture. However, promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situations--such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma--in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. An NCCAM-funded study recently showed that acupuncture provides pain relief, improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee, and serves as an effective complement to standard care. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
How might acupuncture work?
In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. It is believed that there are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians and that there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body that connect with them.
Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture's effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine that is commonly practiced in the
It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects through regulating the nervous system, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and, thus, affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person's blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.
How much will acupuncture cost? Will it be covered by my insurance?
A practitioner should inform you about the estimated number of treatments needed and how much each will cost. If this information is not provided, ask for it. Treatment may take place over a few days or for several weeks or more. Physician acupuncturists may charge more than nonphysician practitioners.
Acupuncture is one of the
What should I expect during my first visit?
During your first office visit, the practitioner may ask you at length about your health condition, lifestyle, and behavior. The practitioner will want to obtain a complete picture of your treatment needs and behaviors that may contribute to your condition. Inform the acupuncturist about all treatments or medications you are taking and all medical conditions you have.
How many needles should be used in each treatment?
According to my experience, six to eight needles are used during acupuncture treatment at most of times. If two or more symptoms or conditions are treated during one session, ten or more needles may be used. For instance, a patient has being suffered from both back pain and headache for a while. The patient can be treated for both in each session instead of treating only one symptom in one session. However, do not try to treat as many symptoms or conditions as possible.
If an acupuncturist does not have enough experience, he or she should just treat one symptom or condition in each treatment.
Some acupuncturists insert as many as thirty or more needles in one treatment. This may mean that by using many needles the chances of inserting some of needles precisely at acupoints may be increased. In fact, this approach may set the treatment effect out of control and cause fatigue that hinders treatment, rather than beneficial relaxation.
How long each session takes?
Normally, each session takes 20 to 30 minutes. It depends on the sensitivity of each individual and the kind of diseases and conditions.
In general speaking, the quality of acupuncture treatment relies on the experience and skill of an acupuncturist. They are combination of diagnosis of symptom, accuracy of acupoints, timing, the depth and angle of insertion, techniques of manipulation, etc.
In which cases, acupuncture is inadvisable?
A patient should never be needled under the following conditions:
When the patient is too hot; when his or her pulse is greatly disturbed; when he or she is drunk or angry; when he or she is hungry or has eaten too much; when he or she is overtired, out of breath; or when he or she is full of great fear.
It is preferable not to have acupuncture treatment at all during pregnancy.
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