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Creative Wellness Newsletter
Newsletter - Fall 2009
In This Issue
- Shining New Light on an Age Old Remedy
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Shining New Light on an Age Old Remedy
Though Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been practiced for thousands of years, it has been in the past couple decades that both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and World Health Organization (WHO) have recognized acupuncture as an effective treatment and prevention of over 43 common problems including:
Muscular Issues: Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel, Tennis Elbow, Sprains & Strains, Frozen Shoulder, Fibromyalgia
Neurological Issues: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and other Sleep Disorders, Migraines, Post Stroke, Dizziness, Diabetes, Neuropathies
Respiratory Issues: Asthma, Allergies, Sinusitis
Women's Health Issues: Infertility, Menopause, PMS
According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included a comprehensive survey of Complementary Alternative Medicine use by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used acupuncture in the previous year.
What do 3.1 Million People Know that I Don’t?
Acupuncture is one of the ancient forms of TCM. Its use dates back as far as 3000BC, though the earliest Chinese text to describe the practice of acupuncture in medicine, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, was compiled between 300-200BC. It has since become world renowned for its ability to treat many different medical conditions.
The principle ideology behind the practice of acupuncture is that the body has energy flowing through it known as qi (pronounced “chee”). Commonly translated as “vital energy,” qi is what gives and sustains life. This life-giving qi flows along specific pathways called meridians, which govern the organs of the body and regulate the energy flowing through them. When the qi flow is disrupted or blocked it causes an imbalance in the body, which manifests itself physically in the form of pain and illness. By activating certain points along the meridians with acupuncture needles, a practitioner can alleviate, and often times remove, the negative manifestation of the energy imbalance.
To activate acupuncture points, a practitioner will insert special needles into the body. They are not in any way like what one imagines when thinking of needles. Because they do not deliver injection, there is no need for a hollow center and are therefore much smaller in diameter. In fact, they are the size of a human hair or smaller. Their small size is what allows the needles to penetrate the body virtually pain free. Many people report that they don’t even feel the needle.
There have been many studies conducted on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments on a variety of different health issues. Some of the most conclusive studies in acupuncture treatments have been those related to its ability to relieve nausea in adult post-operative and chemotherapy patients. Other successfully treated ailments included migraines, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and osteoarthritis. Even substance abuse and addiction patterns can be broken with the support of acupuncture sessions.
One of the most exciting discoveries is the role acupuncture can play in achieving a successful pregnancy. Conception difficultly is experienced by nearly fifteen percent of couples and most of the medical options available are expensive and lengthy procedures. Recent studies have shown that acupuncture, performed along with in vitro fertilization (IVF), can increase the chance of a successful conception.
Harvey Kaltsas, president emeritus of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, said the country could save billions of dollars by shifting care for a number of conditions away from pharmaceutical treatment and toward acupuncture. Kaltsas said the number of licensed practitioners has grown to 20,000 from just 300 in 1971, indicating that many people are sold on the practice’s effectiveness.
To read more about the latest research, we encourage you to visit National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website, www.nccam.nih.gov. A search for acupuncture will yield over 300 results. A bit closer to home, we’ve been providing acupuncture services to our clients in Michigan for the past two decades. Go to www.creativewellness.net to learn more about our acupuncture services.