“At Last the Truth About Acupuncture: It's as Good as Drugs for Treating Pain.”
Critics of the ancient Chinese therapy say it is no better than a placebo. But a new study using brain-mapping shows it has a similar effect to standard Western medicines.
Skeptics have long claimed that acupuncture is all in the mind. But a ground-breaking new study has found that the ancient Chinese practice is as effective as popular
painkillers for treating disabling conditions such as arthritis.
A team of scientists from two British universities made the findings after they carried out brain scans on patients while they underwent the 2,500-year-old treatment. The scans showed differences in the brain's response to acupuncture needles when compared with tests using "dummy needles" that did not puncture the skin.
Doctors found that the part of the brain that manages pain and the nervous system responded to acupuncture needles and improved pain relief by as much as 15 per cent.
Dr George Lewith, from the
The findings, which will be published today in the scientific journal NeuroImage, have been welcomed by acupuncturists, who have long faced skepticism from scientists that the benefits are derived from the placebo effect. Although some clinical trials have shown an improvement in pain relief, the practice remains controversial. Other trials, for instance, have found little difference between acupuncture treatments and placebos.
Persis Tamboly, of the British Acupuncture Council, said: "We're really thrilled about this research. There will be critics of this subject until our dying days, but research like this substantiates what we've always maintained - that acupuncture works."
The council hopes the findings will help to make acupuncture become accepted as a National Health Service treatment. Despite its controversial status, more than two million acupuncture treatments are performed each year. Its supporters include Cherie Blair, Kate Winslet and Joan Collins.
The 14 patients who participated in the study were put through three tests in random order, while "brain maps" were created using sophisticated positron emission tomography, or PET, scans at University College London. In one test, researchers used blunt needles that pricked the skin, but which the brain registered as the sensation of touch. Dummy needles, where the tip was pushed back once it touched the skin, were then used, and in the third test the patients underwent acupuncture treatment with real needles.
The acupuncture needles had two measurable effects on the patients' brains: as with the dummy needles, the brain released natural opiates in response to the expected effect of the needles. But the scans showed that the real needles had an extra effect and stimulated another part of the brain called the ipsilateral insular. This improved pain relief by 10-15 per cent - similar to the effect of taking conventional analgesic drugs.
The study, though, does not explain how acupuncture treats other problems such as stress or disease.
DR Lewith said: "Further research is definitely planned. This is a very interesting area. I have been involved in acupuncture research for 25 years, and I'm now getting a very realistic understanding of the effects of this mechanism," he said.
At the sharp end
* Developed in
* There are about 500 acupuncture points on the body, which can affect the body's "chi" or energy. A headache can be treated with needles inserted in the hand or foot.
* Fine needles are inserted into "energy channels" in the body called "meridians". Needles help natural healing processes or relieve pain.
* Other techniques include the use of massage, smoldering herbs, and tapping with a rounded probe, as well as lasers and electro-acupuncture
Souce: Carrell, Severin, At Last The Truth About Acupuncture: It’s As Good As Drugs For Treating Pain. © Copyright 2005 Independent Digital (
Acupuncture FAQs
How safe is Acupuncture? No one has ever died from acupuncture applied by a trained and licensed practitioner. Not a bad track record when you consider that the medicine is guesstimated to be more than 2,500 years old. Needles generally cause no bleeding or pain, and the needles used are disposable. Acupuncturists are trained in exact location, angle as well as depth of insertion of the acupuncture needle to avoid any injuries.
Are there any side effects to Acupuncture? One of the great advantages of acupuncture is that, other than an occasional bruise, there are no side effects.
Does Acupuncture hurt? This is the most common question asked about acupuncture because many people associate needles with pain. Acupuncture needles are about the thickness of a dog’s whisker, so they are virtually painless when inserted. After insertion, the practitioner will bring the needle to the appropriate depth. You will then usually feel a very unique sensation that can vary from tingling, to heaviness, to warmth, or nothing at all. Each person’s experience is different. Should you experience any discomfort, inform the practitioner, and they will adjust the needles accordingly.
Where do the needles go? This depends on the condition being treated. Although the acupoints are located throughout the entire body, usually the needles are placed on the extremities from your elbows down to your hands, and from your knees down to your feet. Other common areas include the abdomen, back, and ears.
What are the acupoints? The acupoints are the areas along a meridian where the energy comes together and rises to the surface of the body. It can therefore be more easily accessed and redirected with the use of a needle.
What are the meridians? There are 12 major meridians in the body. Each of these is like a highway transporting energy and blood to its respective internal organ (Liver, Heart, Lung, Spleen, Kidney, etc.). When the energy in a meridian is not moving properly, it can, in turn, affect the proper functioning of the organs and cause imbalances throughout the body.
Are the needles sterile or are they reused? Needles are individually wrapped and sterilized by the manufacturer. They are opened only when they are ready to be used, and afterwards, each needle is disposed of in a medical waste container.
What can I expect during a treatment? During your first consultation, the practitioner will collect a complete history and detailed evaluation of your condition. They will ask questions relating to many different aspects of your life, not only the condition for which you are seeking treatment. The practitioner will then take your pulse, examine your tongue, and sometimes palpate your abdomen or check for tender areas along the meridians. The initial visit usually lasts 1 1/2 hours including the treatment. Subsequent visits usually last about 1 hour.
How often do I have to come? Treatments are done on a weekly basis, usually twice a week for the first two weeks, and once a week thereafter. Once the condition has been controlled and you are symptom-free, the treatments are done less frequently. Problems that have been around for a long time usually take more treatments to resolve than ones that have come about recently. Your treatment course will be determined after the first visit and reassessed after each session.
How can I prepare for my session? It is best to eat a light meal before your appointment so that your body has energy to work with. Sometimes a person who has not eaten will feel lightheaded or weak when receiving an acupuncture treatment. In this case, inform your practitioner immediately and they will take the appropriate actions. It is best to wear shorts or loose clothing so that the arms and legs below the elbows and knees, as well as the abdomen, are accessible. Do not engage in strenuous activity, drink alcohol, smoke excessively, or ingest heavy meals before or after your treatment. This will allow the body to adjust to the effects of the acupuncture.
Can I receive Acupuncture if I am pregnant? Yes. Because there are some points that are contraindicated during pregnancy, it is important to inform your practitioner if you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnantBy Editorial Staff
During a recent Q&A session of a Presidential Town Hall meeting in St. Louis, one licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist in Florissant, Mo., got to ask President Barack Obama what must certainly be one of the most important questions in the minds of all alternative health practitioners.
Q: I'm a licensed acupuncturist and licensed massage therapist in Florissant. And so...
President Obama: I could use one right now. (Laughter.) My back is stiff. I've been working hard.
Q: I'll be happy to help you. (Laughter.) And this kind of fits into what you were just talking about as far as health care. I'm wondering, as a practitioner of Oriental medicine, knowing that the National Institutes of Health and theWorld Health Organization have discovered through their studies that alternative medicine often is more cost-effective and very effective, how will alternative medicine fit in your new health care program?
President Obama: Well, look, my attitude is that we should - we should do what works. So I think it is pretty well documented through scientific studies that acupuncture, for example, can be very helpful in relieving certain things like migraines and other ailments -- or are at least as effective as more intrusive interventions.
I will let the science guide me. We just swore in an outstanding new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas. (Applause.) It's good to see that aJayhawk got applause on this side of the border here. (Laughter.) But she's going to do an outstanding job. And my charge to her is, as we're going through health care reform, let's find out what works.
I think one basic principle that we know is that the more we do on the prevention side, the more we can obtain serious savings down the road. So giving children early checkups, making sure that they get immunized, making sure that they are diagnosed if they've got eyesight problems, making sure that they're taught proper nutrition to avoid a life of obesity - those are all issues that we have some control over. And if we're making those investments, we will save huge amounts of money in the long-term.
Unfortunately, the hardest thing to do in politics - and certainly in health care reform - has been to get policymakers to make investments early that will have long-term payoffs. Because people - their attitude is, well, I'll be out of office by the time that kid grows up; and the fact that they're healthy, that doesn't help me. And in the private-sector insurance system, oftentimes insurers make the same calculation. Their attitude is, well, people change jobs enough for us to pay for the preventive medicine now when the problem may not crop up for another 20 years and they'll be long out of our system, so we don't want to reimburse it because it will make things more costly. That's the logic of our health care system that we're going to have to change.
The recovery package put a huge amount in prevention. We are, in our budget, calling for significant increases in prevention. And my hope is that, working in a bipartisan fashion, we are going to be able to get a health care reform bill on my desk before the end of the year that will start seeing the kinds of investments that will make everybody healthier.
A complete transcript of the April 29, 2009, Town Hall meeting may be found athttp://enduringamerica.com/2009/04/29/transcript-president-obama-at-st-louis-town-hall-meeting-29-april. The question is at approximately the 21:09 mark on the second video.
| Acupuncture Today June, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 06 |
Kelly Morton, 37, of Hagerstown says she and husband Jason wanted to give their daughter Meredith, 6, a sibling.
But after nearly three years of trying to get pregnant and suffering through several miscarriages, Morton says she turned to two intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures as well as an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.
All three were unsuccessful, leaving Morton physically and emotionally spent, and she and her husband still without another child.
“It was devastating,” she says.
That’s when Morton says she read an article about how, for some women, acupuncture could help with fertility. She found Susan L. West of Acupuncture Associates in Hagerstown in the phone book. She says she saw that she was board certified and was listed under fertility. A friend who had acupuncture for her back also recommended her.
Today, Kelly and her husband are the parents of 8-week-old Sadie. The little girl’s picture has been added to the bulletin board of other acupuncture babies West has hanging in her practice’s waiting area.
Eastern approach to health
West has been practicing acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine since 1995. She has used this approach to treat infertility. But she says during the last seven or eight years that she’s spent even more time concentrating on what Chinese medicine can do for women who are having a lot of problems maintaining a pregnancy to full term.
A study that was released this year by BMJ, an international, peer-reviewed, medical journal and online publication, reported that preliminary findings suggest acupuncture given with an embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy and live birth among women under going IVF.
West says for some women, acupuncture can help even without IVF or IUI. “They’re more invasive and a woman can only do so many cycles,” she says.
She says when a woman becomes a patient, she fills out a five-page questionnaire. West then does a physical exam that includes feeling her pulse.
West says in Chinese medicine taking the pulse is important and can lead to other findings. She uses three fingers and feels the pulse on the patient’s left and right wrist. For instance, the first finger on the left wrist tells about the heart and small intestines.
“It’s a real art in Chinese medicine, it take years to master taking a pulse,” she says.
She can usually tell a woman if she’s pregnant, just by taking her pulse from the left wrist. She says a pregnant woman’s pulse has a “slippery quality.”
“They call it the ‘Pulse of Life,’” she says.
In fact, she correctly told Morton she was pregnant even before she took a pregnancy test.
Holistic approach to health
The biggest barrier to a woman conceiving, West says, is how she’s taking care of herself.
“They’re (sometimes) just very stressed out,” she says.
West says each treatment is geared specifically to the patient. The treatment includes acupuncture needles as well as a specific herbal protocol. If the patient is undergoing IVF, there is a different herbal protocol. Some opt not to do the herbs. West said acupuncture can increase the success of IVF by 35 percent. Using acupuncture and herbs together can increase the success rate by 60 percent.
Morton says she didn’t mind the needles as all, which are stainless steel solid rods and extremely fine.
“I think I fell asleep during every single treatment,” she says with a laugh.
West says she jokingly calls those treatments her “margarita needles” because it puts her patient into a sleepy, relaxed state. “We say those needles calm the spirit,” she said.
Stuck with needles, but painlessly
Bethany Geiman, 42, and her husband Todd spent years trying to have a baby. She says that was until she had heard about the connection to acupuncture and fertility.
“Only thing I knew about acupuncture was that it was needles,” Geiman says. “... but even if it was needles, it was our last hope.”
Through IVF and acupuncture, Geiman and her husband had a son, Samuel, 4, who was born two months premature.
But the couple wanted just one more child. This time, before Geiman would even start the IVF procedure, she returned to West. Geiman, who’s due Friday with a girl, says she was worried about getting to full term for the second pregnancy.
And when Geiman entered her second trimester and experienced bleeding, acupuncture helped to relieve the symptoms. Most importantly, Geiman says, acupuncture has prevented her from having a premature birth.
Some insurance companies will not cover acupuncture for fertility. However, West suggests patients check with their insurance company.
For those who are hesitate about trying the holistic approach of acupuncture, West says it’s a different culture.
“Chinese medicine is the main medicine in the East,” she says. “Western medicine is the alternative.”
When up-and-coming New York doctor Hank Lawsonloses everything fighting for the life of a patient, he escapes to the Hamptonswith his younger brother,Evan. After making a dramatic medical rescue at a party, Hank inadvertently finds himself the Hamptons' newest on-call doctor. Now, with the help of Evan and an ambitious physician assistant, Hank is once again helping those in need and reinventing himself as the Hamptons' hottest doctor-on-demand. Catch the premiere of USA's new original series,Royal Pains, Thursday, June 4 at 10/9C.
USA's new original series,Royal Pains, hits the airwaves this summer. While you wait, why not check out the officialmessage boards and tell us and other USA Network fans what you think of the show? Click the link below and let your voice be heard!
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Dr. Huatuo used the knife and shaved general Guanyu's upper arm bone to move the necrosis poisons out. General Guanyu didn't moan for his strong spirit and Dr. Huatou's perfect local anesthesia.
The Associated Press
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – A 6-year-old boy grabbed the wheel of his family's pickup truck when his father passed out from low blood sugar, keeping the vehicle from crashing until an officer could bring it to a halt, police said.
Tustin Mains was in the back seat with his 3-year-old brother Sunday when his father, Phillip Mains, slumped over at the wheel, the boy told police. The family had been driving home from a restaurant.
"I remember getting up to about the mall — that was about 6:45," Mains told The North Platte Telegraph. "The next thing I remember was waking up to the officer and paramedics, and it was 8:15."
Tustin leapt into his father's lap so he could steer and see out the windshield. Mains' foot had slipped off the accelerator, but even at idle the Chevrolet Avalanche was going an estimated 10-15 mph, police said.
The kindergartner steered the truck several blocks, even turning around when he entered a neighborhood he didn't recognize, until he was spotted by police.
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