Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, acupuncture is one of the four pillars of traditional Chinese medicine, and one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It involves stimulating certain “acupuncture points” in the body, often by penetrating the skin with hair-thin, metallic needles and sometimes with the use of heat in a process called moxibustion.
What’s Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is most popularly used to relieve pain. However, traditional practitioners say that it can be effective for a wide variety of health problems.
The World Health Organization’s list of diseases responsive to acupuncture includes: the common cold and sinusitis, acute bronchitis and bronchial asthma, myopia and cataract, toothache and gingivitis, gastrointestinal disorders like ulcer and diarrhea, migraine and facial palsy, and musculo-skeletal disorders like low back pain and osteoarthritis. Other reports say acupuncture also cures insomnia and addiction to drugs and smoking. Acupuncture may also be helpful in managing weight problems.
How Acupuncture works
The philosophy behind acupuncture states that a healthy body has a delicate balance of yin (cold, passive principle) and yang (hot, active principle). Illnesses arise when yin and yang in the body are in a state of imbalance, which blocks the flow of qi (pronounced as “chi”), or vital energy, along pathways in the body called meridians. In Chinese medicine, the body has 12 main and 8 secondary meridians, and acupuncture treatment uses needles to stimulate points along these pathways to harmonize yin and yang.
The needles are driven into the surface layer of the skin. (The procedure shouldn’t be painful.) Sometimes, heat is introduced through the burning of an herb called moxa to promote circulation through the points and bring about an unhampered flow of blood and qi. People who have tried acupuncture report a feeling of heaviness or tingling sensations on the acupuncture points – a good sign that the correct points along the meridian are being stimulated.
The pros of Acupuncture
Most people turn to the method of acupuncture when Western medicine has “failed” them, or when they are tired of the side effects of their usual medications. For example, Western medicine treats chronic migraine with strong painkillers that can cause gastric irritation in some people, or treat hormone imbalances with hormones that may lead to other problems. Acupuncture tries to correct these conditions safely and without any side effects.
There are also cases where acupuncture can still be of some help to certain conditions that can no longer be managed through Western medicine, such as certain types of paralysis and Bell’s Palsy.
The cons Acupuncture
Not all medical problems can be resolved by acupuncture, and not all people are responsive to acupuncture treatments. Western medicine as its place and is still best for conditions involving other problems, like the presence of polyps (an abnormal tissue growth). Acupuncture is also not as effective in treating infections. Of course, in emergency cases such as heart attacks or brain and head trauma, getting treatment from the hospital is still recommended.