ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an alternative medicine methodology originating in ancient China and utilized throughout the world.
It involves manipulating very fine, solid needles that have been inserted into acupuncture points in the skin. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, stimulating these points can correct imbalances in the flow of Qi through channels known as meridians. The disposable needles are various sizes depending on thickness of skin, area to be used on and length to be inserted and are so fine that more than 10 of them can fit into the width of a normal syringe. The clinic is now moving to a Korean needle range which is more environmentally friendly with much less waste from packaging and one tree is planted for every two boxes purchased.
ACUPUNCTURE Versus DRY NEEDLING
Many of the acupuncture points have been called “trigger points” by physiotherapists and other body workers. During the last few years, practitioners not trained in Chinese medicine have been using acupuncture needles on patients, calling it “Dry Needling”. A Dry Needling course can be completed in a weekend!
There have been many investigations into adverse events resulting from Dry Needling, however there is still much research left to do (Halle & Halle, 2016). Florida USA has banned dry needling through a court order because of the risk to public safety. More states are looking into it.
Dry Needling is a more painful technique then acupuncture, as these points are stimulated with thicker needles till there is a strong muscle twitch response, a practice used infrequently in traditional acupuncture. Over 98% of points used by Dry Needlers are acupuncture points, most of which take many years of supervised practice to learn the correct angles and depths to needle.
The combinations of points used by an experienced acupuncturist are like the best recipes of a chef and take years to perfect, rather than a quick fix weekend. Would you like your dentist to start practicing after a weekend of training?
Acupuncture is generally a very gentle therapy that is carefully adapted by the practitioner to suit the individual patient’s sensitivities and is usually a very relaxing experience.
Randomized controlled trials have been done using acupuncture in the emergency wards of 4 Melbourne hospitals and have shown that it may provide some pain relief (Cohen et al., 2017). The long term use of opioids has been questioned for their efficacy and safety, so it is very important to find other ways to assist with both acute and chronic pain conditions.
This research shows how acupuncture has a positive result on pain relief: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK409491/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK409491.pdfA summary of the findings is here: https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/portal/article/4000672/acupuncture-shown-to-have-benefits-for-treatment-of-some-chronic-pain?utm_content=buffered7fb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
DOES ACUPUNCTURE HURT?
There is a minimal sensation sometimes, no more than a mosquito bite or the pressure of a fingernail on the skin as the needles are very thin. Usually, the pressure of the guiding tube is felt more than the needle insertion. A quick feeling may be detected when the Qi is activated, which fades and may leave a lovely tingle while the needles are working. Every person is different and even the same person may experience things differently from day to day.
International Acupuncture News
With global communication becoming more open, the quality of research is gradually improving. The research that has been conducted so far includes only a handful of the huge number of conditions that are written about in Chinese medicine literature. A large body of anecdotal evidence, Classical literature and clinical notes have been collected by Chinese medicine physicians over the last 2500 years.
In China, hospitals incorporate and integrate western and Chinese medicine for the improved health of the patient. At the Philadelphia Children’s hospital in America (http://www.chop.edu/services/acupuncture-program), they have been offering acupuncture treatments instead of just opioids for pain relief and other complaints. A few hospitals in America are also using acupuncture for pain relief in their emergency wards (Tsai, Fox, Murakami, & Tsung, 2016). The American military is incorporating it into their health care; in particular with their veterans (Madsen, Patel, Vaughan, & Koehlmoos, 2018). Many zoos, vet clinics and racehorse trainers use acupuncture. Acupuncture is the fastest growing medical profession in America and is widely supported by their insurance systems. It is also used as a battlefront aid in war zones.
As the largest public-sector provider of integrated medicine in Europe, the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) offers acupuncture alongside its other therapies. https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/OurServices/OurHospitals/RLHIM/Pages/Home.aspx
Some conditions that we can mention due to peer reviewed research
- manage pain stress and fatigue related to autoimmune disorders in consultation with other treating practitioners
- manage pain fatigue and nausea relating to chronic diseases
- manage vomiting and nausea due to chemotherapy
- reduce musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy
- help as a fertility adjunct with IVF treatment
- nausea and vomiting
- reduce chronic pain relating to depression by managing the underlying pain
For these and all other health queries please contact Regenerate Acupuncture & Herbs by email (phoenixhealing@bigpond.com) or message 0418327892 during business hours for more information about how we may help your condition if it is not listed.
References
Cohen, M. M., Smit, D. V., Andrianopoulos, N., Ben-Meir, M., Taylor, D. M., Parker, S. J., Cameron, P. A. (2017). Acupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department: a multicentre, randomised, equivalence and non-inferiority trial. The Medical Journal of Australia, 206(11), 494-499.
Halle, J. S., & Halle, R. J. (2016). PERTINENT DRY NEEDLING CONSIDERATIONS FOR MINIMIZING ADVERSE EFFECTS – PART ONE. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 11(4), 651-662.
Maciocia, G. (2015). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine E-Book: A Comprehensive Text: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Lee, J. H., Choi, T. Y., Lee, M. S., Lee, H., Shin, B. C., & Lee, H. (2013). Acupuncture for acute low back pain: a systematic review. Clin J Pain, 29(2), 172-185. doi:10.1097/AJP.0b013e31824909f9
Madsen, C., Patel, A., Vaughan, M., & Koehlmoos, T. (2018). Use of Acupuncture in the United States Military Healthcare System. Medical Acupuncture, 30(1), 33-38. doi:10.1089/acu.2017.1260
Ming-Shun, W., Kee-Hsin, C., Chen, I. F., Shihping Kevin, H., Pei-Chuan, T., Mei-Ling, Y., Chiehfeng, C. (2015). The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0150367. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150367
Tsai, S.-L., Fox, L. M., Murakami, M., & Tsung, J. W. (2016). Auricular Acupuncture in Emergency Department Treatment of Acute Pain. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 68(5), 583-585. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.05.006
Wang, Y.-Y., Li, X.-X., Liu, J.-P., Luo, H., Ma, L.-X., & Alraek, T. (2014). Traditional Chinese medicine for chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Complementary therapies in medicine, 22(4), 826-833.
