Overview of Acupuncture

ACUPUNCTURE

Sheila Hnida

History

Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China. It is mentioned in documents dating from the Common Era.[1] The earliest written account is found in the Nei Ging (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine). The document is believed to be from around 200 B.C., and is one of the oldest medical text books.[2] Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in China for the last 5,000 years and is uses go from prevention and treatment of disease to relieving pain and anesthesia.

The past two decades has seen an increase in popularity of acupuncture in the United States. In 1993 the FDA estimated that Americans have spent as much as 500 million dollars per year on as many as 9 to 12 million treatments.

The National Institutes of Health has funded a variety of research projects for controlled studies so we can learn more about this complex procedure.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is inserting very fine needles into specific points on the body to stimulate Qi. The practitioner can use needles as well as heat, pressure, friction, suction, or electromagnetic energy.

Acupuncture helps to maintain balance which is essential for a long and fruitful life.

Acupuncture Theories and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Since Chinese medicine is based on their life philosophies, the following is a brief explanation of those philosophies.

Chinese believe that every living thing has Qi. Qi is our energy or vital substance. It is

the life force and the organizing principle that flows through all things and interconnects

them. In the body, Qi is in the heart and lungs, circulating blood and oxygen. [1]

The Dao - The Dao is "The Path". In traditional Chinese medicine the rules of the Dao are moderation, living in harmony, and striving for balance. According to the philosophy of the Dao, the role of the acupuncturist is to restore health in order to live close to the Dao. Two concepts that form the basis of Chinese thought and increase the understanding of the Dao are: Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements.

Yin and Yang in Acupuncture - Harmony and balance are the basis of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is a philosophy that each person is governed by opposing but complementary forces. This principle is central to all Chinese thought. Yin is dark, passive, feminine, cold and negative. Yang is light, active, male, warm and positive. They are opposites that make a whole and one cannot exist without the other.

One of the goals of the acupuncturist is to maintain the balance of Yin and Yang in the person to prevent illness or to restore health. (Acupuncture is a

Yang therapy because it starts on the outside and goes to the inside.)

The Five Elements - The body is linked to the universe which is affected by daily and seasonal cycles. The cycle is never ending with each phase playing its role in maintaining balance. Body systems work together to achieve this balance and functioning in body, mind,and spirit. The five elements of cyclical change are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. The elements correspond with seasons. Winter - Water, Spring - Wood, Summer - Fire, Late Summer - Earth, and Fall - Metal. Our physical and mental constitution depends on our balance of and dominating element. The ideal condition is to have all elements in balance. Acupuncture can help maintain this balance.

Uses for Acupuncture

Acupuncture is best known for its control of pain. It became widely known in the United States in 1971 when a New York Times reporter James Reston had emergency appendectomy surgery in Beijing, China and his doctors successfully used acupuncture to help relieve his pain.[3]

Acupuncture can treat a variety of common disorders. The following is from the World Health Organization Data : [4]

Respiratory

- Acute Sinusitis

- Common Cold

- Acute Bronchitis

- Acute Rhinitis

- Acute Tonsillitis

- Bronchial Asthma

Eye

- Acute Conjunctivitis (pink eye)

- Nearsightedness (in children)

- Cataract (without complications)

Mouth

- Toothache (post extraction pain)

- Gingivitis (gum disease)

- Acute and Chronic Pharyngitis

Gastrointestinal Disorders

- Hiccups

- Gastric Hyperacidity

- Colitis

- Diarrhea

- Ulcers

- Constipation

- Paralytic Ileus

- Gastritis

Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders

- Headache and Migraine

- Paralysis following Stroke

- Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction

- Nocturnal Enuresis (bed wetting)

- Cervicobrachial Syndrome

- Sciatica