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what is it?
Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine, an ancient system of healing practised in the Far East for over 4,000 years. The practitioner inserts fine needles, usually disposable and made of stainless steel, into specific points on your body in order to stimulate the flow of vital energy known as chi (pronounced 'chee'). This energy is said to flow throughout the body in a network of invisible channels, called meridians, beneath the skin.
Acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary therapies in the West, used for a wide range of conditions from anxiety to back pain. It has proved so effective that many doctors recommend it and about 86% of NHS pain clinics offer it.
what it's supposed to do
Acupuncture is widely used for tension headaches, migraines, anxiety states, arthritis, asthma, back pain, circulatory problems, depression, facial paralysis, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia syndrome and other indeterminate aches and pains, infertility, menstrual problems, sciatica, skin conditions and peptic ulcers. It can help relieve pain in childbirth and may be used to reduce cravings in people trying to overcome addictions such as those related to alcohol, smoking, food and drugs. Although Westerners tend to turn to acupuncture when there is a problem, in China it is regarded as a preventive measure to maintain well-being.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, our health and well-being depends on the smooth and balanced flow of chi through our bodies. Chi consists of yin and yang , opposing but complementary qualities in nature. For example, yin signifies cold, damp, darkness, passivity and contraction; yang is associated with heat, dryness, light, action and expansion. Yin organs are dense and blood-filled, such as the heart and liver. Yang organs are hollow and involved with discharge or absorption, like the gall bladder and stomach. When these qualities become unbalanced — too much yang or insufficient yin — the flow of chi is interrupted and illness may result.
A number of factors can disturb the flow of chi. These include emotional states (such as anxiety, stress, anger or grief), poor nutrition, inherited constitution, temperament, infections, poisons, trauma and weather conditions.
Traditional Chinese medicine regards the body as a whole rather than dealing with specific diseases. Symptoms are seen as signs of 'disharmony', or disruption in the flow of chi, and treatment aims to restore natural balance, freeing the flow of chi where there is a blockage or restoring it in depleted areas, thus stimulating the body's healing processes.
what happens
The first consultation is longer than subsequent sessions, up to 90 minutes, so that the practitioner can diagnose what is called your 'underlying pattern of disharmony'. It's a good idea to wear loose comfortable clothes that allow easy access to arms or legs. Be prepared to undress to your underwear if the acupuncturist needs to reach points on your torso.
The acupuncturist will ask questions about your medical history and that of your close family, your diet, digestive system, sleeping patterns and emotional state. Your physical condition — eyes, hair, skin tone — are observed, your tongue examined for its colour and coating, and your movements, posture, body odour and voice noted. There are 12 meridian pulses, six on each wrist, and the acupuncturist will feel each one to assess the quality, rhythm and strength of the flow of chi and determine where adjustments should be made.
There are 14 main meridians, 12 of which are named after the organs through which they pass, such as Liver, Spleen or Kidney, and about 500 acupuncture points. (The names of organs in traditional Chinese medicine are given capitals because the concept is different and more diffuse than that in Western medicine.) Stimulating points on or beneath the skin affects the function of organs elsewhere in the body that are on the same meridian. For example, needles may be inserted in the foot or hand to relieve headaches.
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Depending on your condition, needles are inserted to a depth of 4-25mm and left in place for a few seconds or 30 minutes or more. You may have 6-12 needles and sometimes more inserted at different acupoints at the same time. The sensation is often described as a tingling or dull ache, with a slight tug if the needle is tweaked for an extra boost. Many people say they feel very relaxed or sleepy, and some report increased energy levels afterwards.
Sometimes the acupuncturist will burn a herb called moxa on a needle over the acupoints to create a stimulating heat. Other methods include electro-acupuncture, in which a low intensity electrical impulse is sent through the needle. This is useful in anaesthesia as a large number of acupoints can be worked at the same time. People with an aversion to needles may prefer laser acupuncture, which directs a fine low-energy laser beam on to the acupoint.
acupressure
Acupressure is described as acupuncture without needles, using finger and thumb pressure to stimulate the acupoints. Its great advantage is that you can treat yourself, but effects are not as strong.
ear or auricular acupuncture
Ear or auricular acupuncture, developed by a French doctor in the 1950s, regards the ear as representing an inverted foetus with the earlobe as the head, and stimulates points accordingly. It is most often used to relieve stress, anxiety and depression and to treat addictions.
what's the evidence?
Scientific evidence that acupuncture is effective for back pain, nausea and vomiting, migraine and dental pain is so strong that in June 2000 a report by the British Medical Association recommended it should be more widely available on the NHS. A study presented to the American Heart Association in November 2001 found that it can reduce pressure on the heart in people with heart failure.
Acupuncture may help relieve morning sickness, turn babies in the breech position before delivery and ease labour pain, but more research is necessary, according to a review of evidence in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in January 2002.
However, other studies show acupuncture ineffective for stopping smoking and losing weight.
Conventional doctors believe that acupuncture triggers the release of chemicals in the nervous, hormonal and immune systems that can block pain pathways to the brain and enhance mood.
precautions
Go to the safety first section of 'before you start' for some general precautions to take into account when considering a complementary therapy.
- Always consult a qualified practitioner as acupuncture is not without risk, although considered safe in trained hands.
- Make sure the practitioner uses disposable needles.
- Tell the practitioner if you are pregnant as certain acupoints should not be stimulated during pregnancy.
- Tell the practitioner if you have a sexually transmitted disease, hepatitis or AIDS.
- Alcohol, large meals, hot baths or showers or strenuous exercise immediately before or after treatment may counteract the effect and should be avoided.
how to find a practitioner
Acupuncture is among the five therapies that the House of Lords Select Committee on Complementary and Alternative Medicine considered to have the best professional organisations and training standards and the most convincing supporting evidence. It is still an unregulated profession however, and practitioners are currently seeking sufficient common ground between medically qualified and non-medical acupuncturists to form a regulatory body.
Always consult a qualified practitioner who is registered with one of the organisations listed in help and info.
» help and info
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For details of other organisations, websites and publications go to our get help directory.
(July 2002)
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