\ec·lec·tic\ adj. selecting from various systems, doctrines, or styles. n. a person who uses various methods in philosophy, science, or art.
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RATINGS
Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been practiced in China for thousands of years, but became widely known in the West only in the 1970s, when its use as an anesthetic received sensational press coverage. Practitioners insert fine, sterile needles into specific points on the body as a treatment for disorders ranging from asthma to alcohol addiction, but most often in the West as a means of pain relief Now one of the most well-known and most widely accepted Eastern therapies, acupuncture is
increasingly practiced in a simplified form by medical doctors.
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| HISTORY
Stone acupuncture needles dating back to 3000 B.C. have been found by archaeologists in Inner Mongolia, and acupuncture has been widely practiced in China for around 3,500 years. In the 17th century, doctors and missionaries brought acupuncture to Europe, where it slowly gained a foothold. In 1972, James Reston, a journalist for the New York Times, had an emergency appendectomy while in China. He gave acupuncture an enormous boost when he described how it had eased his postoperative pain. Spectacular examples of acupuncture as an alternative to conventional anesthesia during surgery were subsequently reported in the West. Since the opening of China to the West after the 1970s, many Western doctors have studied acupuncture techniques and use "medical acupuncture," as the practice is known, to supplement conventional treatment in hospitals and pain clinics. In the West, traditionally trained practitioners who are not doctors tend to practice in private clinics. The use of acupuncture in anesthesia is mainly confined to China. EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
A body of scientific evidence now exists to support the use of acupuncture to treat certain conditions. Some of the most convincing research into the therapeutic effects of acupuncture, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1988, was carried out by Professor John Dundee of Queen's University, Belfast. His research confirmed that stimulating an acupoint approximately 2 in (5 cm) above the crease of the wrist closest to the hand relieved and even eliminated nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. According to a 1989 study in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, the same point could also be used to treat nausea following general anesthesia and chemotherapy.
In 1989, The Lancet reported that patients with alcohol addiction responded well to acupuncture. A Swedish study in 1989 found that acupuncture eased post¬surgical pain. American studies in 1982 and 1980 showed that it relieved neck pain and lower back pain respectively. Attempts to relate the meridians' pattern of energy pathways to electrical currents in the body have been unscientific and inconclusive, but some evidence exists for acupoints having lower electrical resistance than nonacupuncture sites. In a Spanish study in 1992, radioactive tracers injected at acupoints seemed to travel along similar pathways to meridians, leading to theories of information transmission linked to neurochemicals rather than to the circulatory or lymphatic system. MEDICAL OPINION
A growing number of doctors now practice "medical acupuncture," usually for pain relief, although medical opinion on the therapy is still divided. The World Health Organization has identified over 40 conditions treatable with acupuncture, and UK midwives claim to have used it to turn fetuses in the breech position, although no scientifically plausible explanation has been given for this.
Acupuncture may release painkilling endorphins. It also may trigger nerve "gate control," in which pressure messages reach the brain faster than do messages of pain. More research is needed: if a communication network of meridians does exist, it has so far eluded definition using modern technology. CONSULTING A PRACTITIONER
On your first visit, the practitioner will take notes on your lifestyle and medical history, and assess your condition using the "Four Examinations" of TCM - asking, observing, listening (and smelling), and finally touching, in which the most important test is taking the pulse. This is a skilled method of checking the rhythm and strength of all 12 meridian pulses (six on each wrist).
There are 28 descriptions, such as "wiry" or "choppy," to categorize the state of each pulse. To aid diagnosis, the practitioner may examine other parts of the body. She will then discuss treatment options, which, as well as acupuncture, often include advice on diet and lifestyle, and may involve herbs or acupressure. You will then be asked to lie on a treatment table, after removing any clothes covering needle sites (acupoints). The site depends on the disorder and whether the flow of qi is to be "warmed," reduced, or increased. Several acupoints may be used: those on the hands and feet are often treated, but sites on the back, abdomen, shoulders, and face are also widely used. The practitioner generally inserts the acupuncture needles to a depth of h-1 in (4-25 mm) depending on the position of the acupoint being treated, although in some cases, practitioners may insert needles to a deeper level. Treatment often involves a combination of acupoints; usually 6-12 needles are used, varying according to the type of acupuncture and the condition of the individual patient. Acupuncture needles may be left in position for a few minutes, as little as a few seconds (especially along the back), or as long as an hour. At the end of the session they are withdrawn swiftly and gently, usually painlessly, without bleeding, and leaving no trace on the skin. For some conditions, especially those due to qi or yang deficiency, such as low back pain, the practitioner burns the herb moxa, generating heat to stimulate acupoints. Glass cups may be placed over the acupoints in order to draw qi and blood toward them. As with the use of needles and moxibustion, the aim is to harmonize the body by influencing qi at the appropriate point on a meridian. The practitioner can also gain information about the patient's condition by looking at the appearance of the skin during and after treatment: in a healthy person, the skin color quickly returns to normal. A variation on traditional acupuncture, electro-acupuncture was developed in China in the 1950s. Practitioners apply a low-intensity pulsing electric current to the needles, which is then conducted through to the acupoint to stimulate it. Electro-acupuncture reaches a large number of acupoints simultaneously, and is especially useful as an anesthetic during surgery, avoiding the need for many acupuncturists to work on the patient at the same time. Laser acupuncture, another variation, directs a fine, low-energy laser beam onto the acupoint. It is particularly useful for patients who have an aversion to needles. PRECAUTIONS
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