What is Acupuncture?
A modern understanding
What is acupuncture? It is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that involves stimulating specific points on the body using various methods such as laser, micro-current and hair-fine sterile needles. The goal of acupuncture is to balance the flow of “qi” in the body.
What is Qi? Qi is a complex concept that is often described as energy, and it is believed that the blockage of Qi can result in illness. However, this interpretation isn’t entirely accurate. In reality, Qi refers to bodily functions, and the term “blockage of Qi” describes a functional obstruction within the body. Interestingly, the West was first introduced to the incorrect idea about Qi by Soulie de Morant, who lived in China from 1901-1917 and went on to become a champion of Chinese medicine in France. He’s actually credited with bringing acupuncture to the Western world!
In China Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of health conditions and is often used in conjunction with other traditional Chinese medicine practices such as herbal medicine.
And did you know that acupuncture is the best-researched natural therapy? That’s why it’s becoming increasingly popular and mainstream, with many insurance companies now covering it. It’s even being integrated into hospitals, and get this – the US military has fully embraced it and is now training its medics in battlefield acupuncture!
What conditions can acupuncture help with?
Here are some of the conditions that acupuncture has been shown to help with:
- Pain: Acupuncture is commonly used to treat various types of pain, including chronic pain, back pain, neck pain, and headaches.
- Anxiety and depression: Acupuncture has been found to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, leaving you feeling more relaxed and balanced.
- Insomnia: This time-tested natural therapy may help improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia.
- Digestive problems: If you struggle with digestive issues, acupuncture has been shown to help with problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nausea, and vomiting.
- Women’s health: Acupuncture has been found to be effective in reducing menstrual cramps and other gynecological issues such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
- Allergies, hayfever and asthma: this natural treatment may help reduce the severity and frequency of allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
- Infertility: Acupuncture may help improve fertility in both men and women.
Remember, acupuncture is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and often should be a part of a comprehensive integrative approach. It’s important to speak with a qualified acupuncturist to determine the best avenue for you. And if you’re looking for a natural and holistic way to improve your health and wellness, acupuncture may be just what you need!
Below is an expanded list of conditions recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for which acupuncture may be considered as a treatment option
Acupuncture can help treat a wide range of conditions. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a book in 2002 called “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials,” which summarized the conditions that have been shown to benefit from this treatment in various studies. While some academics argue that this document may be outdated, we believe that the age of a study doesn’t necessarily invalidate its findings, especially if there are no newer, higher-quality studies available.
1. Diseases for which acupuncture may be considered mainstream treatment:
(Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved through controlled trials-to be an effective treatment)
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- Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
- Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
- Biliary colic
- Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
- Dysentery, acute bacillary
- Dysmenorrhea, primary
- Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
- Facial Pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
- Headache
- Hypertension, essential
- Hypotension, primary
- Induction of labour
- Knee Pain
- Leukopenia
- Low back Pain
- Malposition of fetus, correction of
- Morning sickness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neck Pain
- Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
- Periarthritis of shoulder
- Postoperative Pain
- Renal colic
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sciatica
- Sprain
- Stroke
- Tennis elbow
2. Diseases for which it is effective, but further proof is needed to include it into mainstream healthcare:
(diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed)
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- Abdominal Pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
- Acne vulgaris
- Alcohol dependence and detoxification
- Bell’s palsy
- Bronchial asthma
- Cancer Pain
- Cardiac neurosis
- Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
- Cholelithiasis
- Competition stress syndrome
- Craniocerebral injury, closed
- Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
- Earache
- Epidemic haemorrhagic fever
- Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)
- Eye Pain due to subconjunctival injection
- Female infertility
- Facial spasm
- Female urethral syndrome
- Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
- Gastrokinetic disturbance
- Gouty arthritis
- Hepatitis B virus carrier status
- Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)
- Hyperlipaemia
- Hypo-ovarianism
- Insomnia
- Labour Pain
- Lactation, deficiency
- Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
- Ménière disease
- Neuralgia, post-herpetic
- Neurodermatitis
- Obesity
- Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence
- Osteoarthritis
- Pain due to endoscopic examination
- Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein-Leventhal syndrome)
- Postextubation in children
- Postoperative convalescence
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Prostatitis, chronic
- Pruritus
- Radicular and pseudoradicular Pain syndrome
- Raynaud syndrome, primary
- Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Retention of urine, traumatic
- Schizophrenia
- Sialism, drug-induced
- Sjögren syndrome
- Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
- Spine Pain, acute
- Stiff neck
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
- Tietze syndrome
- Tobacco dependence
- Tourette syndrome
- Ulcerative colitis, chronic
- Urolithiasis
- Vascular dementia
- Whooping cough (pertussis)
3. Diseases for which acu is worth trying, because the treatment by western medicine is difficult:
(Diseases, symptoms or conditions 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)
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- Chloasma
- Choroidopathy, central serous
- Colour blindness
- Deafness
- Hypophrenia
- Irritable colon syndrome
- Neuropathic bladder in spinal cord injury
- Pulmonary heart disease, chronic
- Small airway obstruction
4. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment:
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- Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Coma
- Convulsions in infants
- Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris)
- Diarrhoea in infants and young children
- Encephalitis, viral, in children, late stage
- Paralysis, progressive bulbar and pseudobulbar
Reference: World Health Organisation: Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials 2002