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Acupuncture
What is Acupuncture?
Originating in ancient China, acupuncture has been practiced in China for thousands of years. It involves inserting and manipulating filiform needles into certain points of the body for therapeutic purposes. Acupuncture needles are very thin (see the picture below). It is very safe with minimal side-effects.
Acupuncture was introduced to the US in 1970’s, and in the past forty years has become increasingly popular in the West due to its effectiveness and safety in treating pain, infertility, anxiety, and more.
Acupuncture was introduced to the US in 1970’s, and in the past forty years has become increasingly popular in the West due to its effectiveness and safety in treating pain, infertility, anxiety, and more.
What does Acupuncture Treat?
A 2003 World Health Organization report looked at the results of 255 clinical trials that had been published before 1999. Based on the strength of existing evidence, WHO found more than 100 indications. (In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. The opposite of an indication is a contraindication, a reason to withhold a certain medical treatment because it could harm a patient.)
These indications include:
These indications include:
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For a complete list of the indications, see the report published by the World Health Organization in 2003. It is entitled: ACUPUNCTURE: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF REPORTS ON CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS
In the video below, Dr. Jiang-Ti Kong, MD, and instructor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford University, gives a concise introduction to acupuncture during the 2015 Stanford University Back Pain Education Day. Dr. Kong currently leads two NIH-funded projects investigating the mechanisms of electro-acupuncture for the treatment of chronic low back pain, and she was funded by NIH for a 2016 study to ascertain what factors determine a patient’s response to acupuncture.