Acupuncture
What can Acupuncture treat?
Some acupuncture texts suggest that it is a universal system for treating
almost all illness, but in the West it is primarily used for treating
pain caused by problems with the muscles, bones and joints, although
it may often be used to treat illness such as irritable bowel syndrome
or asthma. Acupuncture can also help to provide pain relief for people
with cancer.
There has been quite a lot research in acupuncture in comparison to some
of the other complementary therapies. We know that it can help in headache
and migraine, dental pain and low back pain. Its use has also been well
evaluated in the treatment of nausea (early morning sickness, post-anaesthetic
nausea and the nausea which is caused by using powerful anti-cancer drugs).
There is some evidence that acupuncture might help improve and accelerate
recovery after a stroke and while acupuncture does not appear to work
to help people give up smoking, it can help overcome the withdrawal period
from other harder drug addictions. Acupuncture may help people with asthma,
although the evidence is a little conflicting at the present time. For
many illnesses, the effect of acupuncture has not been properly assessed
so it is not really fair to say that we understand the true scope or
benefit that acupuncture may have in treating a whole variety of different
conditions.
Is it safe ?
Acupuncture is largely a safe treatment. The world literature contains just over 193 major adverse reactions which have been reported in the last 15 years. There are, however, some fairly simple pieces of advice for anyone seeking acupuncture. First, you should go to a registered acupuncturist whose premises have been inspected and registered for the purposes of providing acupuncture by their local health authority. This means that you will given disposable (once only use) acupuncture needles for your treatment and there will be no danger of cross-infection occurring between patients so you will not run the risk of picking up diseases like hepatitis. If you are on anti-coagulants (drugs that thin the blood), it is probably best that you do not have acupuncture. If the acupuncturist is proposing to use an indwelling needle that may be left in place for a few days, then this might expose you to an increased risk of infection and is not a good idea, particularly if the valves of your heart are damaged. There are, furthermore, certain specific acupuncture points that should be avoided in pregnancy, although acupuncture in general is a very safe and effective treatment during pregnancy for both early morning sickness and pain.
