Acupuncture
Acupuncture involves inserting and manipulating fine, solid needles into selected "acupuncture" points in the body to restore health and wellbeing.What is acupuncture?Acupuncture has its roots in traditional Chinese Medicine more than 2500 years ago. It gradually spread all over the world. Korea, Japan and Viet Nam introduced it in clinical procedures in the 6th century. It took another 1000 years before it reached Europe and close to a further 400 years before it spread all over the world. Today, it is among the best known complementary or alternative therapies available. Acupuncture involves inserting and manipulating fine, solid needles into selected "acupuncture" points in the body to restore health and wellbeing. Classic texts describe up to 365 such points mapped onto the surface of the body.1 Insertion points can be selected either according to traditional medical systems, symptoms, point function or point prescriptions. Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to balancing the movement (Qi) between the yin and yang forces of the human body. It is used to maintain health, to prevent disease, and for therapeutic intervention purposes. For example, acupuncture has become a popular treatment for pain relief, with 90% of pain clinics in the United Kingdom and 70% in Germany using acupuncture as part of their treatments.2 It has been shown to relieve dental pain, chronic pain such as osteoarthritis of the knee3, or acute pain such as lower back pain.4 There are signs that it can improve the psycho-neurological function for cancer survivors after chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction.5 Adverse effects are minimal, but do occur in 7-11% of patient and are mostly due to infection.6 More serious adverse effects have been reported7 - although they are extremely rare. A well-trained practitioner can prevent most of such problems. Training takes usually 3 to 4 years for novices. Shorter courses are available for medical doctors. What can you expect from your acupuncture treatment? In all likelihood, your first consultation will be devoted to your medical history and a physical examination. In the Western model acupuncture, additional diagnostic studies may be requested at this stage. In the case of an Oriental Acupuncturist, a detailed inquiry will be made into your lifestyle, diet and other personal or familial factors. This is followed by a series of 4 - 10 acupuncture sessions. Some patients experience euphoria or drowsiness after the first treatment, 1 to 3% of patients have reported some pain. A few patients are non-responders and would be referred to other treatment options.1 Despite its many applications and success stories, some maintain that the observable results could be a placebo response.
Medica Pura |
|
A Multimedia Australia website.
Medica Pura
Copyright © 2008 - 2016 Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd.
Australian Company Number 096 830 394. All rights reserved.
ABN 78 096 830 394
GPO Box 1626, Brisbane, Qld, 4001, Australia
Contact Us
Terms of use. Disclaimer. Privacy Statement.
The information contained on this site is for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for expert medical advice, and does not take your medical history or specific circumstances into consideration. Always seek your doctor's advice if you have a medical or health-related condition. While every effort has been made to ensure that the above information was correct at the time of writing; medical knowledge is constantly being reviewed and updated, and the above information may therefore be superseded by additional knowledge.