ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture is just part of a larger body of traditional Chinese medicine that integrates many therapies, and is applied by practitioners to treat illness and diseases. Of these therapies, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology are the most popular in the United States. Some additional therapies include: diet, nutrition and lifestyle counseling, as well as Tai Qi and Qi Gong (physical exercise), and Tui'na (manual therapies). Acupuncture first developed during the Chou dynasty (1030 BC to 221 BC) of Chinese history, as a system of therapy involving the needling of precise points on the body derived from the philosophical concepts of humanity and its relationship to the natural environment.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
It has been scientifically determined that human beings are unique bio-energetic systems. For thousands of years traditional Chinese medicine has acknowledged that there is a vital life force that flows through all things which is called Qi (pronounced "chee"). In western culture, it is often referred to as "energy." Energy (Qi) flows along pathways in the human body, which are related to the organs, the muscular system, and nervous system. When the balance of this energy is disturbed due to trauma, poor diet, medications, stress, hereditary conditions, environmental factors, or excessive emotional issues, then pain or illness results. Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on correcting these imbalances, which stimulates the body's natural ability to heal itself. In other words, traditional Chinese medicine focuses on treating the factors that cause disease.
QUICK FACTS ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE IN THE U.S.
Acceptance of Acupuncture in the United States
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is one of the fastest growing forms of health care in the United States. This explosion is due to the recognition by consumers and regulators of the safety, effectiveness and low cost of this form of health care.
- Acupuncture has been cited by the World Health Organization to treat over forty-three conditions including allergies, asthma, back pain, carpal tunnel, colds and flu, constipation, depression, gynecological disorders, headache, heart problems, infertility, insomnia, pre-menstrual syndrome, sciatica, sports injuries, tendonitis and stress.
- The 1997 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Acupuncture stated, "The data in support of acupuncture are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies."
- The Western Journal of Medicine in 1998 reported that a 1996 Kaiser study found that 57.2% of primary care physicians in Northern California used or recommended acupuncture in the last 12 months.
- A study in six clinics in five states showed efficacy and cost savings of acupuncture. Of the patients treated with acupuncture, 91.5% reported disappearance or improvement of symptoms; 84% said they see their MDs less; 79% said they use fewer prescription drugs and 70% of those to whom surgery had been recommended said they avoided it.
- Clinical studies indicate that acupuncture is effective in treating headache, dysmenorrhea, fibromyalgia, stroke, substance abuse, menopause, depression, female infertility, neck pain, low back pain, osteoarthritis, morning sickness, respiratory disease, urinary dysfunction, tennis elbow and facial pain.