Question-Is Acupuncture Safe and Will it Really Help?
I recently found this quote by a prominent pain specialist:
“Acupuncture is one of the most time-tested treatments known to mankind. If the value of a treatment were based solely on how long it has been around, and how long people have thought that it was helpful, then acupuncture would probably be the most effective treatment known to humankind.”
Here's the full quote on HealthDiscovery.com, where Dr Scott Fishman answered a question about acupuncture for the treatment of back pain:
Q: My doctor has recently suggested acupuncture. Is acupuncture safe and will it really help?
A: "Acupuncture is one of the most time-tested treatments known to mankind. If the value of a treatment were based solely on how long it has been around, and how long people have thought that it was helpful, then acupuncture would probably be the most effective treatment known to humankind. Nonetheless, we still do not know why acupuncture works, how it works best, and for whom it is best used.
Many patients advocate acupuncture as a very effective treatment for many different symptoms. These symptoms include pain from a variety of causes, as well as many other conditions including nausea, smoking cessation, problems with addiction, inflammatory conditions, possibly even anxiety and depression, to name just a few.
There are many different forms of acupuncture. One form of acupuncture completed by one acupuncturist may be quite different than another, and any given practitioner may perform the acupuncture differently than another.
Typically, acupuncture is performed with a very thin needle that causes gentle sensations. It is usually not painful. Classically, acupuncture involves using a needle — although sometimes electricity is passed through the needle, and sometimes the burning of traditional Chinese herbs is employed as well. Burning these herbs is called "moxabustion."
The points that are used for the needle insertions often are at a distance from the actual area of symptoms. So, if someone has pain in their back, they may be getting needles in their feet, their ears or somewhere else distant from the actual site of the pain.
The special points that are chosen for needle insertion are along areas called "meridians." These meridians relate to what the Ancient Chinese felt were true "organ systems" and guide the placement of the acupuncture needles." However, these "organ systems" are not necessarily the same kind of systems that are defined as traditional organ systems by 21st century physicians. For instance, the traditional meridians for the spleen may have nothing to do with the actual organ that we know of today. An acupuncturist traditionally diagnoses a patient's problem by feeling three pulses on each wrist. In some cases, these diagnostic indications determine which ancient meridians are and are not diseased.
Taken all together, acupuncture is an ancient, time-tested form of therapy that seems to have exceptionally few side effects and appears to be safe for pain management. At present, however, it continues to be of unproven value for pain management in scientific circles. In my experience, many patients have found relief from pain through acupuncture. For those of my patients who have not found relief with standard medical therapies, I am always open-minded to any kind of treatment that will help, particularly those that have the fewest side effects. Thus, I embrace acupuncture. I look forward to revelations through science that better explain how it works and how it may be best applied to fight the war on pain."
What an eloquent description of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine! Dr Scott Fishman is the Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of California, Davis. You can read more about Dr. Fishman here.
Yes, We Need More Modern Clinical Trials for Acupuncture
Dr. Fishman is right, we do need more modern clinical research on Acupuncture and nobody can really explain how Acupuncture works. Generally speaking, the pharmaceutical industry funds most medical research and individual companies don’t usually fund research on medicine that can’t be patented, as it would a financial loss for them. So, until more research is funded, you can read about the clinical trials for Acupuncture or Chinese Medicine that we do have, here, or you can try it for yourself.
My Suggestion?
Don’t wait for clinical trials or for someone to explain how Acupuncture works, because you might be waiting a long time! In the meantime, you could be finding pain relief.
If you'd like to read about people that have received relief from pain using acupuncuture, click here.
Yours in Health,
Kara Sorensen, MS, LAc
Acupuncture by Kara
15066 Los Gatos-Almaden Rd
Suite 200
Los Gatos, CA
e: kara(at)karasorensen.com
p: 408.805.5272 (KARA)
p: 800.514.1406