Acupuncture is an ancient, East Asian medical art, used both for the treatment of disease and for maintenance of health. Fine needles are used to stimulate specific points, distributed all over the body, to correct imbalances of function in the various bodily systems.
Acupuncture originated in China at least 2,000 years ago. It has been in use there ever since and also has a long history of use in surrounding countries, including Japan. Acupuncture is one of the major modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine - the others being herbal medicine, a type of massage therapy called “Tuina”, and bone setting. Acupuncture is employed in public hospitals all over modern China. In Australia, most acupuncturists run private practices and employ other modalities as well as acupuncture.
There is a range of styles of acupuncture, including traditional/classical acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, trigger point acupuncture, and single point acupuncture. Traditional and Classical Acupuncture are based on the Chinese philosophical ideas of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, which form the basis of Chinese medical theory. These theories form the basis for explaining physiological function and disease. Slightly differing traditions from China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam exist in Australia.
Modern “medical acupuncture” may involve the application of acupuncture based on the principles of neurophysiology and anatomy, and the exclusion of traditional principles and philosophy. Auricular therapy, a relatively new development, involves the use of the ear to make a diagnosis and subsequent needling of points on the ear. Scalp acupuncture is another modern development that is particularly useful in neurological conditions.
Why do acupuncturists still follow an ancient tradition?
Essentially, the ancient theories that govern the prescription of acupuncture still provide the best guidelines to practice. They can provide a subtlety of distinctions between different methods that is beyond modern medical analysis. This is partly because modern science has not yet explained enough of acupuncture's actions to tell us what to do in each situation, but more particularly because the method of treatment has evolved together with its own diagnostic system. Attempts to translate this into modern thinking are likely to lead to mistaken beliefs. We might need centuries more research before modern scientific medicine can guide the use of acupuncture as well as the traditional diagnostics already do.
A traditional acupuncturist bases treatment on a diagnosis, made according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This involves complex theories of regulation of Yin and Yang influences, Qi, blood and body fluids. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, an imbalance in the Yin and Yang functions of the body, or an excess or deficiency of Qi, blood or body fluids, are the main causes of pain or disease. Acupuncture treats illness by re-establishing the balance between Yin and Yang and restoring normal flow of Qi, blood and body fluids. Specific manipulations of the needles are applied so as to call Qi to where it is deficient and releases it from where it is in excess, thus rebalancing the body.
Other methods of stimulation of these points are also traditionally used, such as “Moxibustion” (the burning of moxa, the plant Artemisia vulgaris or Mugwort) and applying pressure
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(acupressure) or the application of vacuum cups to acupuncture points. Some practitioners today use laser to stimulate the surface of acupuncture points. Others apply electrical currents to needles to increase stimulation and save the time that is required for more traditional techniques. Many traditional acupuncturists, however, consider these modern techniques to be inferior substitutes for expert classical technique.
How does it work?
One could attempt to answer this question in either of two ways: with the traditional answer (outlined above), or with a scientific explanation. The scientific answer is still a matter of ongoing investigation. In either case, however, the main point is that acupuncture works solely by stimulating processes that are going on in our bodies all the time. Nothing is injected in acupuncture; it is the human body that does all the healing work itself. The needles merely stimulate and direct our natural healing processes. They do this through stimulation of different points that govern different parts and systems of the body and their interaction. The body's natural responses to the presence and movement of a needle are transmitted from acupuncture points to other areas of the body. Thus, acupuncture can initiate healing responses both near the points of insertion and at distant parts of the body.
Several scientific hypotheses are under investigation, attempting to explain acupuncture in a way that will fit in with a Western understanding of physiology. For example, acupuncture is thought to reduce local muscle tension or release pain-killing endorphins. Conventional science suggests acupuncture works by neurological, neuro-hormonal and psychological mechanisms - essentially, by stimulating the nerve cells that control the chemical and other processes in your body. However, this may not be the whole story. While many of acupuncture's actions may be transmitted through the nervous system, some researchers now believe it also activates healing responses that are mediated by the electrical activity of the connective tissues that run throughout our bodies. The meridians may correspond to divisions between bands of connective tissue, and acupuncture points may correspond to “growth centres', which are believed to play a role in controlling healing responses. Many studies in animals and humans have demonstrated that acupuncture can cause multiple biological responses.
Scientific evidence of acupuncture's effectiveness is steadily mounting, with good studies now showing its anti-inflammatory effects, enhancement of local blood circulation, effective treatment in Irritable Bowel Syndrome, nausea in pregnancy, increased rate of successful implantation in IVF and many other areas of health care. The common perception that acupuncture just treats pain constitutes a gross underestimation of its known actions.
For further general information, you can visit the website of the Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association: www.acupuncture.org.au
By David Freeland
D.T.C.M (Syd), C.T.C.M. (China), C.Ac. (China)
