americanhealthorganization.net

S Matthews asked:




Time was when only junkies, piercing addicts and crazy folk willingly stuck loads of needles into their bodies. Not any more. Acupuncture, the traditional art of needle therapy, has become so popular that it’s almost become a mainstream form of medicine, with people using it regularly to help them quit smoking, alleviate muscle pain and even treat infertility.

As former family practitioner Harry Hall put it on the website Quackwatch: “Acupuncture studies have shown that it makes no difference where you put the needles. Or whether you use needles or just pretend to use needles (as long as the subject believes you used them).

In fact, on TV’s Sex and the City, Charlotte went to an acupuncturist when she couldn’t get pregnant – although it didn’t work. It did, however, work swimmingly for an acquaintance of hers, an aging socialite called Bitsy von Muffling who married a gay man and got pregnant after just a few sessions with the aptly named acupuncturist Dr Mao. By Jove, it’s a miracle!

However, a recent US study of 600 patients said that acupuncture is no more better than sticking toothpicks into your skin – at least as far as helping with lower back pain is concerned. Published in the respected Archives of Internal Medicine, the study incorporated a control group who sneakily got toothpicks instead of needles, which did not actually pierce the skin. Surprisingly, the toothpicks worked just as well as the needles.

Their verdict: whether or not acupuncture works for you is really all in the mind – and they conclude this applies to this “ancient Chinese technique” practiced to help cure other ailments as well, not just back pain. But if it is all a question of mind over matter – and yet nonetheless has positive results – who really cares?

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture dates back for thousands of years, although its exact origins are not exactly clear. It is a rather bizarre way of healing where needles are inserted into pressure points in the body – sometimes called acupoints – to provide relief for what ails you.

There are many different types of acupuncture, and it is practiced differently by every practitioner. Some people believe in acupoints on the hands and feet, others concentrate on the ears. Others use virtually all parts of the body (well, not every part, thank goodness). Some rely on plain old needles, others use laser beams and even tiny magnetic pellets, or BBs. Sometimes, pressure points are worked on without the help of needles at all.

It is thought that the acupoints exist along the meridians of what the ancient Chinese called our qi, or where the energy naturally flows in our body. Stimulating them is supposed to have specific beneficial effects, and a trained acupuncturist can pinpoint areas to treat specific complaints.

Does it Really Work?

It’s unclear why acupuncture is seen as relatively mainstream these days, especially when scientific evidence is so difficult to prove, as is the case with the majority of procedures (it’s much easier to prove the efficacy or actual medicine than it is a technique). While some people believe that positive outcomes are largely placebo effects, others say acupuncture does actually work for specific problems.

In 2003 the World Health Organization published a study on acupuncture, saying that it had approved 20 diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture can treat, including hayfever, depression, facial pain, headache, hypertension, lower back pain, morning sickness, renal colic, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, sprain, stroke and tennis elbow.

It also listed diseases, symptoms or conditions “for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed,” and a shorter list “for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult.”

Here are some of the most common ailments acupuncture aims to treat:

Infertility. Perhaps the most interesting use of acupuncture in recent years has been as a way to treat infertility. Although it didn’t work for Charlotte (see above), scores of women swear it has worked for them (the World Health Organization says further research is needed). The Berkeley Center for Reproductive Wellness has said that acupuncture is most effective when combined with herbal medicine and traditional medical intervention. Make your own conclusions from that!

Weight Loss. A multi-targeted approach here. Needles are inserted for a variety of reasons, to release feel-good endorphins, stop cravings, perhaps help with the functioning of the pituitary gland. Purports to also help with a general decrease in appetite.

Cessation of Smoking. Patients are treated on acupoints on their ears and body several times a week to both reduce cravings and calm the nervous system. Silver pellets sometimes are used to stimulate the acupoints between treatments and keep up the beneficial effects. It is said that smokers often quit two or three times before they quit for good – could this be one of those times?

Anxiety. Purported to work as it can promote deep relaxation, allowing both mind and body to heal together. Addresses kidney and heart imbalances, which are thought to result in anxiety, and sometimes uses auricular acupuncture, or ear acupuncture, to achieve good results.

Pain. Claims to be able to help with pain in some patients resulting from conditions such as fibromyalgia, sickle cell anemia, chronic neck pain and even shingles. Sometimes the needles are heated or a low electrical charge is sent through them before they are used.

Play it Safe

Acupuncture is a widely misunderstood form of alternative therapy which may or may not work for you. Some people say it is a life-saving art, others say any claims that it has any health benefits at all are dubious at best. As former family practitioner Harry Hall put it on the website Quackwatch: “Acupuncture studies have shown that it makes no difference where you put the needles. Or whether you use needles or just pretend to use needles (as long as the subject believes you used them).

“Many acupuncture researchers are doing what I call Tooth Fairy science: measuring how much money is left under the pillow without bothering to ask if the Tooth Fairy is real.”

Be aware that there are some risks, as acupuncture that is improperly performed can result in serious health problems, including fainting, hematoma, lung puncture etc. If you want to try acupuncture yourself and see if it works for you, make sure you visit only a qualified acupuncturist who practices in a safe, sterile environment using only disposable needles. Happy piercing!

health organization