Acupuncture - An ancient practice in a modern world

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and intelligence cannot be applied" Herophilus

Along with the burgeoning popularity of alternative therapies has come a host of new health information on the therapies that are out there, readily available for those who are seeking healing from a ‘non-Western’ medical practice. It is quite a big task for an individual to discern what therapy would suit their specific health needs and what benefits they will receive should they choose one particular therapy over another. A good indication as to what makes a successful form of therapy is it’s longevity. If it has withstood the test of time, then one can safely assume that it is because it works! One therapy that can easily claim to be one of the oldest of them all is acupuncture.

Acupuncture, in fact, is probably the oldest healing therapy on the planet coming from the realm of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Around approximately 1000 BC, during the Shang Dynasty, hieroglyphs showed evidence of acupuncture with some records showing that the therapy dates back as far as the Stone Age. Bronze needles have been found, excavated from ruins, and even older artefacts that have been found are ‘bian’ stones which were a type of stone knife that had been used to puncture and drain abscesses.

The Chinese describe acupuncture by the character ‘Chen’, which literally means to prick with a needle. Acupuncture therapy has been used by the Chinese for generations to promote health and alleviate pain and suffering. The perspective from which an acupuncturist views health and sickness hinges on concepts of "vital energy," "energetic balance" and "energetic imbalance." Through this perspective the acupuncturist is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain areas along the body called "meridians". The Chinese discovered and identified twelve acupuncture meridians along which energy travels in the human body. Acupuncture meridians are like copper traces on an electronic circuit board, running throughout the body, and were named by the life function associated with them. Meridians are classified as being yin or yang on the basis of the direction in which they flow on the surface of the body. Since the meridian flow is actually one continuous, unbroken flow, the energy flows in one definite direction, and from one meridian to another in a well determined order. It is these areas in the body or "acupoints" that are stimulated by fine, slender needles in acupuncture therapy. Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provided gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease the body’s vital substance, qi or chi, thus correcting many of the imbalances.

The intent of acupuncture, by stimulating correct energy flow throughout the body, is to encourage the body to heal itself in areas where there are imbalances or ‘sickness’.

Several processes have been proposed to explain acupuncture’s effects, primarily those on pain. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either change the experience of pain or release other chemicals, such as hormones, that influence the body’s self-regulating systems. The biochemical changes may stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being. There are three main mechanisms:

Conduction of electromagnetic signals: Western scientists have found evidence that acupuncture points are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating points along these pathways through acupuncture enables electromagnetic signals to be relayed at a greater rate than under normal conditions. These signals may start the flow of pain-killing biochemicals, such as endorphins, and of immune system cells to specific sites in the body that are injured or vulnerable to disease.

Activation of opioid systems: Research has found that several types of opioids may be released into the central nervous system during acupuncture treatment, thereby reducing pain.

Changes in brain chemistry, sensation, and involuntary body functions: Studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. Acupuncture has also been documented to affect the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes whereby a person’s blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature are regulated.

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/achiness, 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 than the standard hypodermic needle, do not draw blood and are solid, not hollow.

Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system and also have positive affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.

Acupuncture is best known for the control of pain. However, acupuncture can treat a wide variety of common and uncommon disorders. The following is a list of disorders that can be treated by acupuncture (World Health Organization data):

Respiratory
Acute sinusitis, Acute rhinitis, Common cold, Acute tonsillitis, Acute bronchitis, Bronchial asthma.

Eye
Acute conjunctivitis (pinkeye), Nearsightedness (in children), Cataract (without complications).

Mouth
Toothache, post extraction pain, Gingivitis (gum disease), Acute and chronic pharyngitis.

Gastrointestinal Disorders
Hiccups , Gastritis, Gastric hyperacidity, Ulcers, Colitis, Constipation, Diarrhea, Paralytic ileus

Neurological & Musculoskeletal Disorders
Headache and migraine, Trigeminal neuralgia, Paralysis following stroke, Meniere’s disease, Neurogenic bladder dysfunction, Nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting), Intercostal neuralgia (pain in the ribs), Cervicobrachial syndrome (pain radiating from neck to arm), Frozen shoulder or Tennis elbow, Sciatica, Low back pain, Osteoarthritis.

There are two major approaches that guide acupuncture practice: the eight principles (used particularly in TCM acupuncture), and the five-element theory. The eight principles are in fact four sets of complementary opposites: yin/yang, internal/external, excess/deficiency, hot/cold.

The five-element theory of acupuncture holds that there are five elements in the universe: wood, fire, earth, water and metal - and that these correspond to the internal organs and produce a specific sequence of circulating energy in the body. In parallel with these five elements, there are five internal organs regulating the human body. These five organs are the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney which correspond to more than a specific body part or bodily function.

Acupuncture is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented of the alternative medical practices. A series of controlled studies has shown evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of a variety of conditions, including osteoarthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea, asthma, back pain, painful menstrual cycles, bladder instability, and migraine headaches. Studies on acupuncture have also shown positive results in the areas of chronic pain management and in the management of drug addition, two areas where conventional Western medicine is very limited.

There is no age limit on who can receive acupuncture. Often, young children respond quite well to acupuncture. There are also special pediatric acupuncture devices which merely tap the skin surface and are quite painless.