What is acupuncture and what are its benefits and side effects?

The type of medical treatment in which needles are inserted into the body is called acupuncture. It is not a treatment rather it is used along with other treatments and is found effective. Although there is not scientific research involved in it rather it is performed individually based on philosophy and insight. It is very old method of treatment and dates back to 2500 years. It was primarily used in China as traditional treatment for relief of pain.

This method got worldwide recognition and spread to USA in and Europe in 1972. There are different procedures which are involved in it where specific points are stimulated inside or outside of skin. In United States, different approaches of acupuncture are adopted in which techniques of different countries like China, Japan and Korea are incorporated. It is estimated that there are currently 1/3 of the certified acupuncturists in USA are medical doctors.

In our body, there are different energy flow patterns which are vital for proper functioning of the body. If due to some reason, there is disruption is this flow, it may lead to specific disease. Acupuncture is used to correct this blow balance by stimulating specific points in our body which are normally close to skin. The most commonly used method of acupuncture involves the penetration of thin metallic needles in skin. These needles are manually operated or with the help of electrical stimulation.

The acupuncture is normally painful process and it is recommended to be applied by expert acupuncturist. During typical session of acupuncture, thin needles are inserted into skin. The patient is laid still and around five to twenty needles are applied for ten to twenty minutes. Along with needles, there can be also application of pressure, laser light or heat.

The skin is usually sterilized before needles are inserted. The needles can be inserted in different patterns like spinning, brushing and up and down relative to skin. It is recommended that the needles must be inserted quickly because most of the pain is felt in superficial layer of the skin.

In different countries, there are different techniques of acupuncture although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technique is mostly used worldwide. This process involves needles insertion, cupping therapy and moxibustion. During the whole session, pulse is monitored and tongue is checked. It is believed that a “life force” (qi) flows within the body in specific pattern called meridians. In Europe, medical acupuncture is applied after medical diagnosis. Hence it differs from country to country and there is no standard procedure of acupuncture.

There are many medical conditions which have been successfully treated by acupuncture. It is recommended during addiction, insomnia, hypertension, knee pain, sprain, labor pain, low back pain, depression, dental pain, infertility and asthma. It has also shown encouraging results in some post-operative conditions and in chemotherapy.

If acupuncture is done by some untrained acupuncturist due to poor hygiene, there may be some side effects. There have been reports of infections; most commonly viral hepatitis and other bacterial infections at the point of needles insertion. In severe cases, sometimes needle is unintentionally punctured into lungs, which results in partial collapse called pneumothorax. Mostly patients feel sensations after acupuncture session; which are uncomfortable. However generally it is safe process if it is done by professional acupuncturist and single use and clean needles are used.

There are other common side effects of acupuncture which include fatigue, itching, emotional release and mild bruising. However, most of these side effects usually disappear after few hours/days and are not fatal. If a person has bleeding disorder, acupuncture may be very dangerous for him.

In 1996, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulated the acupuncture needles as medical devices. There are some standard to manufacture and label these needles. These needles must be nontoxic, sterile and for single use only. It is also recommended that the acupuncture must be advised along with other conventional treatments. The results of the treatment may differ from person to person.

The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture has provided the referral list of doctors who can provide acupuncture. This list can be downloaded from their website(https://www.medicalacupuncture.org/). There is also list of thousands of certified acupuncturists at website of The National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance. The cost of typical acupuncture varies between $30 and $100.