Should You Try Acupuncture?

More Americans Turning to Acupuncture - Today Show video

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Study Shows Acupuncture Offers Relief to Breast Cancer Patients With Hot Flashes, As Well As Improving Sex Drive, Energy Levels, and Clarity of Thought

Acupuncture Beats Drug to Treat Hot Flashes

Acupuncture Curbs Back Pain in Pregnancy

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Injured Troops Turn To Air Force Acupuncture Clinic

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Americans Spend $34 Billion on Alternative Medicine

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Acupuncture Works

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Acupuncture May Ease Chronic Back Pain - Study Shows Acupuncture Trumps Standard of Care for Back Pain Relief

Acupuncture May Ease Heartburn During Pregnancy

Air Force to Use "Battlefield Acupuncture" for Pain Relief

Acupuncture Cuts Ails of Breast Cancer Drugs - Acupuncture Reduces Side Effects From Tamoxifen, Arimidex

Acupuncture for In Vitro Fertilization?  Getting Acupuncture May Improve Odds of Success

Depressed?  You Don't Need Drugs, Psychiatrist Says

The following article is compliments of www.mesothelioma.com 
Acupuncture a Powerful Integrative Oncology Tool

Integrative Oncology is the combination of “mainstream” care and evidenced-based complimentary therapies to control cancer-related pain and symptoms (source: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine). Complementary therapies, while not given the attention that more traditional cancer therapies may receive, are perhaps equally important while undergoing treatment for certain types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma. Patients diagnosed with difficult to treat malignancies will often use these types of therapies in conjunction with traditional treatment options, which include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiology, to form a more comprehensive and effective treatment regimen. Among the most effective alternative therapies utilized by those diagnosed with cancer is acupuncture.

Acupuncture has long been utilized as a general pain reduction method for thousands of years, originating in the Far East and gradually being utilized throughout the world. Effective cancer treatment often depends on the patient’s ability to not only defeat the cancer through various methods but to also maintain their health and mental spirit throughout the course of treatment.

Often, the symptoms and effects of the cancer itself on the body are insignificant compared to the pain and other side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation are often fatigued, experience a lack of appetite and weight loss, and may become depressed.  For cancer patients experiencing these and other side effects, acupuncture is extremely beneficial. According to the ancient theories of Chinese medicine, “qi,” or “life energy,” flows through energy channels within the body known as meridians. These channels connect the body’s internal organs, and if these meridians become “blocked,” or an individual’s qi cannot flow properly, disease will set in. Acupuncture is said to relieve blockages and restore the natural flow of qi, and ultimately restoring one’s health.

Cancers such as mesothelioma, which are often unable to be removed by surgical means, are often treated with some combination of chemotherapy and radiation (the combination of chemo drug Alimta® and anti-cancer drug Cisplatin® is a popular mesothelioma treatment method). While these potent drugs can be effective in eliminating some of the tumor mass and growth, they also profoundly affect the health of the surrounding tissue. Symptoms experienced by those undergoing mainstream cancer treatments include fever, nausea, and debilitating pain.

Patients who undergo acupuncture in conjunction with mainstream cancer therapies have experienced dramatic reductions in pain and feel that their energy and mental wellbeing was restored. Cancer patients who feel energized, are pain-free and have a solid state of mind are more likely to withstand traditional methods of cancer treatment and have an increased survival rate.

Acupuncture is said to be so effective, in fact, that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized acupuncture as a successful intervention for adverse reactions to radiation and chemotherapy. The National Institute of Health (NIH) also agreed that acupuncture may relieve nausea and pain experienced by cancer sufferers, and the organization supports acupuncture clinical trials.

While this ancient method of therapy may be extremely effective for some, acupuncture may not be recommended for all cancer patients. Those who have a history of endocarditis, neutropenia or thrombocytopenia should not undergo acupuncture. Individuals with lymphedema or those who have a pacemaker should speak with a physician before beginning any course of acupuncture therapy.

While oncologists like Dr. Anne Tsao of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas continue to work towards a cure, those who practice the ancient art of acupuncture will be working to help cancer sufferers experience a better quality of life and an increased rate of survival.  And while the scientific validity of Acupuncture has been proved in many, many studies, the Medicinal Herbal Formulary of Chinese Medicine also shows promise as another resource for those suffering with various cancers, including asbestos cancer.

Jack Bleeker, Research Coordinator

July 20, 2009    

What is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese Medicine (CM) is a highly effective method of health care that has successfully treated billions of people over the past 2,500 years. In fact, currently one-quarter of the world’s population makes use of CM! Chinese Medicine is the world’s oldest, continually practiced, literate, professional medicine. This system of healthcare was created by some of the best-educated and brightest scholars in Chinese history. It is comprised of several major branches, including acupuncture, Chinese herbal therapy, dietary therapy, and medical massage (also called Tui Na).

Acupuncture is the branch of CM that is most popular in America today; in fact, it is the fastest growing health care method in this country. Although acupuncture has only been available in the United States for about thirty years, millions of Americans have discovered its effectiveness and have come to rely on its ability to relieve pain, alleviate a wide variety of bothersome symptoms, increase emotional well-being, and enhance quality of life. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 42% of all Americans are using some form of complementary medicine, spending more than $34 billion each year. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine states that one out of every ten adults has tried acupuncture. In 1991, Congress ordered the National Institutes of Health to set up the Office of Alternative Medicine, which was later renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in 1998. In 2004, the NCCAM was awarded a budget of $117.7 million.

One of the most exciting aspects of Chinese Medicine is that it is particularly well suited to treating common stress-related ailments that are so common today. According to Dr. Donald E. Kendall,

“The Chinese recognized that so-called civilization was contrary to natural living, and brought with it certain strains and stresses, which they called ‘the dust’ – possibly a reference to the dusty conditions of overcrowded ancient cities. The treatment for stress was known as ‘wiping away the dust’. The risks to health are much the same today, and include the physical and emotional stress caused by living in large complex societies, overcrowding, adverse environmental factors, air pollution, poor water quality, bad eating habits, overeating, alcohol and drug use, smoking, lack of exercise, overwork, and poor sleeping habits. As a consequence, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, infertility, impotence, asthma, allergic disorders, gastrointestinal and urogenital disorders, acute and chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, anxiety, and depression, among others, are widespread. These diseases represent a general malaise of civilization, and no single medical approach can solve all these problems for all people. Chinese medicine has survived for many centuries for the very reason that it has been effective in addressing a wide range of human ailments, including those mentioned above.”

The first question everyone asks: “Does acupuncture hurt?”
The simple answer to this question is “no”. Most first time patients are surprised and pleased to find that acupuncture treatment is a relaxing and pleasant experience.

It is important to understand that acupuncture needles are nothing like the needles used to administer injections or collect blood (called hypodermic needles). Hypodermic needles have relatively thick, rigid shafts with an angled tip that is designed to slice through skin and muscle. In contrast, acupuncture needles are very thin – about the diameter of a cat’s whisker. Because they are so thin, acupuncture needles are very flexible. In addition, they have a highly polished surface that is designed to pass painlessly through the skin and body tissues without causing damage or bleeding.

Many patients do not experience any sensation when the needle penetrates the skin, but some people feel a prick similar to a mosquito bite or a mild stinging sensation. When the needle reaches the correct depth, some patients feel a dull ache, a tingling sensation, or a sense of distention under the skin. This sensation dissipates quickly, and most patients experience a sense of deep relaxation and calmness for the remainder of the treatment. Many patients actually fall asleep while the acupuncture needles are in place.

Are acupuncture needles sterile and safe?
In the United States, acupuncturists use factory-sterilized, single-use, disposable needles. The needles are individually packaged according to strict government guidelines and are discarded immediately after use.

In addition, acupuncturists are required to follow strict procedures during acupuncture treatment in order to avoid disease transmission. In order to become licensed, an acupuncturist must pass a Clean Needle Technique examination (both written and practical) administered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

What conditions benefit from acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment?
There are seven key benefits of acupuncture:

· Relieves pain

· Enhances immune function

· Regulates and balances hormones

· Elevates mood

· Relaxes muscles

· Eliminates stress

· Enhances mental clarity

Chinese herbs and acupuncture are used to restore critical physiological balance (called zheng in Chinese medicine and homeostasis in Western science).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating over 40 common disorders, including:

1) Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders – Toothaches, earaches, sinusitis, rhinitis, laryngitis.

2) Respiratory Disorders – Colds and flus, bronchitis, asthma, allergies, emphysema.

3) Gastrointestinal Disorders – Food allergies, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, colitis.

4) Circulatory Disorders – Hypertension, high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris.

5) Urogenital Disorders – Cystitis, stress incontinence, neurogenic bladder, prostatitis, prostatic hypertrophy, enuresis (bed-wetting).

6) Gynecological Disorders – Menstrual irregularity, endometriosis, PMS, infertility, menopausal syndrome.

7) Musculoskeletal Disorders – Tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, TMJ, sciatica, low back pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia.

8) Psychological and Neurological Disorders – Depression, anxiety, insomnia, trigeminal neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia, post-stroke paralysis, dizziness, tinnitus.

According to a 1997 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Statement, current evidence indicates that acupuncture can be used as an effective adjunct treatment for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, morning sickness, dental pain, addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma. In addition, the NIH report indicated that “further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.”

How does acupuncture work?
Although acupuncture may seem mysterious, the mechanism behind its effectiveness is quite simple. A basic understanding of two concepts is essential to understanding acupuncture.  These concepts are Qi and Meridians.   

Although it is unfamiliar to most westerners, Qi not a spiritual or a "new age" concept.  One translation of the word Qi is “that which animates life”—the presence of Qi is what distinguishes a living being from a dead person or animal or an inanimate object.  Qi is the motive force behind your ability to move, see, hear, heal, digest, and speak. It is the “spark” that keeps your heart beating, your blood circulating, and your brain thinking. It is the energy behind the phenomenal growth of a small child and the remarkable ability of the human body to heal from injury and disease.

"From the standpoint of Western medical science, qi is likely to be revealed as some amalgam of endorphins, the bioelectric potential of cell membranes, nervous conduction, circulating hormones and perhaps even photons (light) and infrared radiation (heat). In attempting to define and quantify qi, acupuncture research may end up identifying a whole new system of biological information, such as the conduction of impulses through the body's connective tissue."

“Qi is understood to be the intrinsic, dynamic, self-regulating and self-maintaining power of the organism. All healing in Chinese Medicine is directed, ultimately, at conserving, protecting, augmenting, restoring, and facilitating Qi.” 

Meridians (also known as channels) are the pathways that conduct Qi throughout the body. Free flow along the fourteen major and innumerable minor meridians of the human body brings life-giving Qi to every cell of your body, including the muscles, nerves, and organs. An obstruction in a meridian is like a dam in a river – Qi builds up and overflows the normal boundaries of the meridian on one side; on the other side tissues lack nourishment. When there is an obstruction, energy stagnates on either side of the blockage and tissue function is impaired. If the blockage is sustained, pain and disease results. In Chinese there is a saying, “If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there is free flow, there is no pain.”

Blockages can be caused by injury, contagious diseases, emotional stress, lack of physical activity, excessive physical activity, overuse injuries, faulty diet, and many other factors. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used to remove blockages, regulate Qi, and restore physiological and psychological equilibrium.

I have heard of Yin and Yang. What does this concept have to do with acupuncture?
Yin and Yang (rhymes with "song" not "sang") is a concept based on the simple observation of the ancient Chinese people that many natural phenomena alternate between two opposite poles. For example, day (yang) turns into night (yin), summer (yang) turns into winter (yin), growth (yang) turns into decay (yin). Yin and yang are opposite yet interdependent forces – one cannot exist without the other. For example, the concept of cold is meaningless without the concept of heat and the same is true of male/female, dry/moist, activity/rest, and thousands of other pairs.  In the human body, health is defined as a dynamic balance between yin and yang. Disease results when the body is unable to maintain equilibrium in response to internal and external fluctuations in the environment. Stimulation of acupuncture points restores the appropriate yin/yang balance in the meridians and enhances the ability of the body to maintain this equilibrium.

Which is correct, Western biomedicine or Chinese medicine?
TCM is a distinct and separate system of medical thought and practice from modern Western medicine, but experience in modern China indicates these two systems can be used together very effectively. Currently there is a great deal of research taking place in the United States and China in an effort to elucidate a Western biomedical explanation for the effectiveness of acupuncture and to identify conditions which benefit from acupuncture treatment. This research is being funded and carried out by many prestigious organizations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baylor School of Medicine, Texas A & M University, and Harvard University. Although modern Western medicine cannot currently explain how acupuncture works, the evidence has convinced many conventional health care providers that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine cannot be dismissed as “quackery” or as a passing fad.

But TCM and Western medicine are so different – how can both perspectives be valid? It is important to grasp that one cannot understand TCM by trying to explain it in Western scientific or medical terms. The ancient Chinese physicians developed a system of medicine that has survived for over three thousand years. It is important to realize that Chinese medicine is complete within itself but that it is based on physiological concepts, theories regarding cause of disease, methods of diagnosis, and principles of treatment that are completely different from the western way of viewing the body.

One way to understand how two medical systems can view the body differently without one system being one system being “right” and the other system being “wrong” is to use the analogy of a map. For example, compare a road map and a topographical map of the city of Waco. Both maps represent the same area, but they do so in very different ways. As long as both maps are based on accurate information, serve as useful tools for their intended purposes, and have been created with self-consistent logic, it would be absurd to claim that one map is more “correct” than the other. The maps are different because they are intended to serve different purposes. If you were planning a road trip from Waco to Denver, you would use the road map. On the other hand, if you were attempting to determine which area of the city was subject to flooding, a topographical map would be a more useful tool.

Both Western and Chinese medicine provide a “map” for understanding the human body in health and disease. Western medicine is like the road map. Depending on the size and scale of the map, a road map can offer very detailed representation of countries, states, counties, cities, neighborhoods, and even individual buildings. If you were using a map to select the shortest route to an appointment across town, you would choose one with quite a small scale and then you would disregard parts of the map that did not pertain the roads and highways that you plan to use. This is similar to the way that Western medicine views the body – as a collection of distinct parts (organs, tissues, cells) that can be taken apart and considered in isolation. Diagnosis and treatment of disease in Western medicine involves using signs, symptoms, and various diagnostic tests to pinpoint the disordered part(s) of the body and then counteract these signs and symptoms with medications, surgery, or other techniques.

In contrast, Chinese medicine is like a topographical map. On this type of map, mountains, valleys, hills, and plains are defined only in relationship to one another. It is impossible to separate the various pieces of the landscape and still maintain a meaningful representation of the whole. From the viewpoint of Chinese medicine, no single sign, symptom, or body part can be understood except within the context of the whole patient. In establishing a diagnosis and treatment plan, the Chinese medicine practitioner searches for and organizes many signs and symptoms (including many that a Western physician would consider irrelevant or unimportant) and subsequently identifies a “pattern of disharmony”. In Chinese thought, there is no single cause of disease, rather it is the interaction of numerous factors in the patient’s life (climate, diet, physical activity, contagious diseases, excessive emotions, inherited constitution, trauma, and others) that results in imbalance (also called disharmony). Eventually this imbalance results in the signs and symptoms of disease.

Are you suggesting that Chinese medicine is better than Western medicine or that I should stop seeing my M.D.?
Absolutely not. Modern Western medicine has changed the world by achieving many amazing triumphs over disease, and Western medicine is the best choice when it comes to the treatment of acute infections, traumatic injury, situations which require surgery, and other illnesses such as cancer. Fortunately, Western medicine has tools at its disposal to actually cure these conditions by killing bacteria, repairing traumatic injury, repairing congenital or acquired malformation of organs or tissues, and stopping the spread of malignant tumors.

On the other hand, most physicians will admit that there are a number of health problems that are not addressed particularly well by modern Western medicine. In the case of many chronic diseases and disorders, Western medicine offers only palliative care – meaning that symptoms are temporarily relieved with medication or surgery but the underlying cause remains. Examples of such chronic conditions include allergies, asthma, insomnia, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, PMS, menstrual pain and irregularity, back pain, attention deficit, disorder (ADD), and many others. In these cases, Chinese medicine offers a mode of treatment that effectively addresses the root cause of the disorder, while at the same time alleviating symptoms. In many cases, Chinese medicine can be used very effectively as an adjunct to conventional Western care.

What education is required of a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)? Should I go to my M.D. or chiropractor for acupuncture treatment?
In order to be eligible for licensure, an acupuncturist must complete an accredited graduate-level degree program in Acupuncture or Traditional Chinese Medicine, pass three rigorous national certification examinations administered by the National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), pass written and practical portions of the Clean Needle Technique examination administered by the Council on Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, submit proof of malpractice insurance, and be approved for licensure by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.

Graduate-level degree programs in Acupuncture or Traditional Chinese Medicine entail 2200-3000 hours of specialized instruction and extensive supervised clinical practice (3-4 years of full-time study). Although some other healthcare professionals (such as medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, and chiropractors) have the legal ability to practice acupuncture, it is important to recognize the vast discrepancy between the acupuncture training required of Licensed Acupuncturists versus other health professionals. In most states, medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy are allowed to practice acupuncture without any training whatsoever in Traditional Chinese Medicine, while chiropractors are required to complete only 100 hours of training (usually completed over the course of several weekends). Unfortunately, the limited training of other healthcare professionals in acupuncture often leads to a “cookbook” approach to treatment. Although this approach may bring about some limited benefits, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine only reaches its fullest degree of effectiveness when it is practiced by an individual with extensive training in the detailed and subtle system of TCM diagnosis and treatment.