BY SAM LEE
Acupuncture is an ancient medicine with a
history of over 3,000 years, that has been growing
in popularity since the early 1970s in the
U.S. after the publication of an article written
by James Reston, New York Times reporter
following Nixon’s famed trip to China in 1971.
Reston’s success with acupuncture while recovering
from appendectomy surgery in China
lead to increased awareness of the benefits of
this ancient medicine.
While many people have heard of acupuncture,
not many are familiar with what it
really is and what happens in an acupuncture
treatment. Others may be aware of what acupuncture
involves, but are not sure if it can
help them.
Can acupuncture actually help you? For
most people, the answer is yes. The reality of
life in today’s society is that we are subjected
to numerous stresses, physical, environmental,
mental and emotional, that we have limited
control over. If these stresses are not addressed
they manifest in the body as illness.
Many people that are extremely stressed do
not even realize that they have “stress.” People
are resilient and adapt to survive. Unfortunately,
many people adapt to cope with the
growing stresses in life. Because they are constantly
subjected to these stressors, they come
to see this as “normal” after a period of time.
So how do you know if you are dealing with
the stress in your life in a healthy appropriate
way? I ask many of my patients questions that
seem unrelated to their main complaint (most
often pain), but the reality is that pain often
manifests as a response to too much stress.
So ask yourself these simple questions:
Do I need to rely upon stimulants such as
coffee, tea or soda to keep my energy up or
get going first thing in the morning? If going
without caffeine or sugar seems impossible,
then you most likely have low energy that is
often a sign you are doing too much. Yes, there
is such a thing.
Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying
asleep consistently? If you are not regularly
sleeping well, then reevaluate when the last
time you actually slept well and think back
to that time. Was it one where you felt more
relaxed? Were you overwhelmed by responsibilities?
If you have low energy or are not sleeping
well, these are not simply signs of aging. These
are signs that you are falling victim to the
demands of a life of “too much.”
This is something that can be dealt with,
and acupuncture can be of enormous help. The
definition of health, as put forth by the World
Health Organization is “a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Acupuncturists are trained to treat illness,
but also to help patients become healthy. This
is in direct contrast to how the typical western
medical model operates. There is no money in
healthy people, but there is much to be gained
in terms of how you view your life and how
much you enjoy it that cannot be quantified.
So what can acupuncture treat? In 2003,
a World Health Organization study, “Acupuncture:
Review and Analysis of Reports on
Controlled Clinical Trials,” cited over 43 conditions
that are treatable with acupuncture.
This list below is not comprehensive, however
it represents the typical array of complaints
for which referral to an acupuncturist is quite
appropriate:
Pain management, including musculoskeletal
pain, rheumatologic or oncological pain,
headache/migraine, and pain palliation at
end of life.
• Neurogenic pain, including neuropathy
associated with diabetes mellitus, chemotherapy,
and the neuropathy associated with
antiretroviral therapy.
• Women’s health, including dysmenorrhea,
premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, infertility,
and pain associated with endometriosis.
• Nausea and vomiting associated with
pregnancy, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and
postoperative nausea.
• Symptoms associated with virally mediated
disorders, including HIV, hepatitis B and C
viruses, and the pain associated with herpes
zoster and herpes simplex I and II.
• Neurological disorders, including Bell’s
palsy, cerebral vascular accident, and multiple
sclerosis.
• Routine infections such as colds and flu.
• Dermatological complaints, such as dermatitis
and psoriasis.
• Gastrointestinal complaints, including
gastralgia, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable
bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal
reflux disease.
• Respiratory complaints, including mild to moderate asthma, shortness of breath, and
cough.
• Urogenital complaints, including dysurea,
cystitis, andimpotence.
• Mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
• Chemical dependency, including abuse of
opiates and sympathomimetics.
• Fatigue secondary to chronic illness, medical
treatment, or surgery.
• Health issues related to aging and imbalance:
kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes.
• Cancer-related issues such as pain and the
side-effects of chemotherapy.
Most patients seek acupuncture to treat
pain. Often acupuncture is a last course of
treatment after all other therapies have proven
unsuccessful. Many people find relief for issues
that Western medicine was unable to treat.
Personal preference to use a more natural and
safe therapy is often another reason people
seek acupuncture.
A typical course of treatment is anywhere
from five to 10 treatments, once or twice a week
until the acute issue is resolved. For chronic
issues, more treatments may be necessary to
achieve the benefits. For many people the treatments
are so relaxing and beneficial that they
continue treatments on a maintenance basis as
a part of a healthy personal care regime that
includes a healthy diet, exercise and stress
reduction.
Acupuncture is covered by some insurance
plans, however to be sure of your benefits it is
always best to confirm your particular policy
with your insurance provider.
Lee is a licensed acupuncturist and owner
of High Peak Acupuncture in Saratoga
Springs.