Introduction to Acupuncture

You may have seen recent news clips reporting the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of infertility, migraines, and smoking addiction. What is the recent interest in this foreign therapy all about?

Acupuncture is one of several treatment modalities used in Chinese medicine; a phrase used to describe the nature-based, traditional healing therapies that have developed and been refined from ancient China to the present. Other therapies used in Chinese medicine are herbal medicine, tui na (acupressure massage), heat therapy, meditation, and health enhancing exercises known as qi gong.

In the United States acupuncture is the most widely used therapy of Chinese medicine. Even so, the history of acupuncture in the United States spans only 30 years. Whereas in Europe it is a few hundred years and in China acupuncture has a 3,000-year history. Given such a short period of time to infuse itself into American culture, it is not surprising that acupuncture is still a very new and frequently misunderstood concept here in the U.S.

To achieve therapeutic results fine, pre-sterilized, single use needles are inserted subcutaneously (under the skin) at very precise locations on the body. For those of us more accustomed to the idea of hypodermic needles either injecting a substance into our body or extracting matter out of our body, this can sound like an unpleasant experience. However, acupuncture needles are solid and substantially thinner than hypodermic needles. Most recipients experience either no, or minimal discomfort. Rather than depending on the interaction between an injected substance and the body’s physiological mechanisms, acupuncture needles themselves serve to activate the body’s healing processes. As this occurs, most individuals who are receiving an acupuncture treatment become deeply relaxed or go into a deep sleep. This experience of deep peace achieved through acupuncture is an essential element that opens the space for healing to take place.

In Chinese medicine, the terms ‘energetic pathways’ are commonly used to describe the routes by which energy flows. This phrase, ‘energetic pathways’ may at first sound unusual to most Americans because we may not understand what ‘energy’ in the realm of healing and medicine means. We may, however, be aware of more than we give ourselves credit for. For example, an ECG (heart monitor) measures the energy and vitality of the heart using electrodes as tools of measurement and then displays the results visually to determine a diagnosis. Similarly, acupuncturists assess the body’s vital energy by feeling a person’s pulse. The pulse is felt at both radial arteries (on the wrists). Because of the intricacy of Chinese pulse diagnosis, the evaluation of the entire pulse picture requires 10 to 15 minutes. Pulse findings along with a patient’s history indicate where energy may be blocked. When the energy is blocked, disease results. Acupuncture regulates the blocked energy so that the body’s tissues and organs can be properly nourished.

The biomedical explanation for the healing ability of acupuncture has been studied quite extensively in China and there are some studies that have taken place in the United States. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is one of the world’s leading research establishments, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is currently conducting acupuncture research for depression, hot flashes, and chronic headaches. The NIH has acknowledged the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of many health conditions including headaches, asthma, menstrual cramps, and musculoskeltal pain. One aspect that has been discovered by bioscience is acupuncture’s role in effecting the endocrine system; which is responsible for many of the body’s biological processes. Some of the health conditions regulated and treated by acupuncture include stress, anxiety, depression, gynecological disorders, autoimmune disorders, asthma, sleep disorders, and digestive disorders. Acupuncture is also frequently used in the treatment of pain.