Acupuncture involves the insertion of long, disposable needles into a patient's body at various strategic points for pain relief and other health-related purposes, according to the Mayo Clinic. According to the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health has found that acupuncture is effective at treating some kinds of chronic pain.
Where It Started
Acupuncture started thousands of years ago in China as a part of the traditional Chinese medical system of beliefs, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. It is one of the oldest healing practices in existence.
Yin and Yang
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the theories behind acupuncture revolved around the forces of yin and yang, which are opposite forces in the body and nature. Yin is believed to represent the cold and slow forces in the body, and yang is said to represent forces that are hot or excited. According to the national center, those who practiced acupuncture thousands of years ago believed that diseases resulted, in part, from an imbalance between the two forces. Along with meditation, massage and the use of medicinal herbs, acupuncture was seen as a way to restore balance.
A More Modern Take
Western medicine views acupuncture differently. Now that the treatment method has been studied by scientific practitioners, it is believed that the insertion of needles into various strategic points in the body helps to stimulate connective tissues, muscles and nerves within the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. This, researchers believe, may help increase the activity of natural painkillers within the body, as well as increase blood flow, which helps treat a variety of diseases.
Popularity in the United States
Although some practitioners in the United States were using acupuncture, the treatment method saw a spike in interest and popularity in 1971, when newspaper reporter James Reston wrote an article in the New York times about how he'd had his pain eased after surgery by visiting doctors in China who used acupuncture on him, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In time, the acupuncture practices in the United States became a mix of traditional Chinese methods, as well as those from Japan, Korea and other countries. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that more than 3 million adults and more than 150,000 children in the United States had used acupuncture during the previous year.
Science
Acupuncture is supported by studies touting its efficacy. Many studies have found significant differences between the pain levels of those treated with acupuncture and those without acupuncture treatment, according to the . Some organizations now recommend acupuncture as a legitimate alternative to pharmacological treatments. For example, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society issued clinical practice guidelines in 2007 that said that acupuncture should be considered by physicians when patients with chronic pain in their lower backs were unresponsive to other treatments.
Member Comments