Does Acupuncture Work? February 19, 2008
Posted by atharkhan in : Personal , trackbackI’ve been dealing with knee pain for quite some time. A friend at work swears by acupuncture so I decided to try it out. The doctor picked three locations for the “points.” He also aimed a lamp (which I think was just an infrared heat lamp) at my knees. The pain started fading immediately and disappeared completely within a couple of minutes. Not bad at all! So, I asked the doctor about the theory behind this form of treatment — why does sticking a person with a needle alleviate pain? And, how effective is such a treatment in the long term?
First the doctor politely told me that pain is only a very small subset of conditions that can be addressed through acupuncture. Apparently, acupuncture can fix issues ranging from fatigue to increasing metabolism.
The doctor offered an explanation of “a freeway system” in the body and how a “blockage” in Tustin could affect traffic conditions in Irvine. When asked what flows through this freeway system — electrical current? blood? — his answer was “Energy.”
Since that explanation was not really very explanatory, I looked up Acupuncture on Google, Wikipedia and Acupuncture.com. Each has extensive information with plenty of pretty graphs and charts. However, I can’t seem to find a definitive answer such as “Acupuncture works because ___. The treatment is effective for ____ days/months/years.”
Have you ever had acupuncture treatment? How long did the effects last? I am interested to hear about your experiences with the treatment.
-Athar.
Comments»
Hi, Acupuncture is a thousands of years old medical system based on Chinese medicine. Many practitioners explain it in different ways but usually conclude it is has a “balancing” function by regulating the flow of energy in the body. Modern Western medicine tries to explain it via endorphins and chemical release. What may make it hard to understand for Westerners is that this ancient medicine is based on a culture and on a terminology (Qi, Yin, Yang) that is very foreign and not so understandable to us.
How long the treatment is effective for really depends on how chronic and severe the condition is and each person is evaluated based on their own unique signs and systems.
I write with a lawyer’s level of understanding - having had the topic explained to me by experts before.
There can be no doubt that Acupuncture works, but that its specific mode of operation is unknown. You might search Google Scholar. The problem with treating knee pain, of course, is that the physical locomotion structures are unaffected by rebalancing energy flow. You might have better luck with a chiropractor or orthopaedic surgeon, particularly if you have torn or displaced cartilage.
When Richard Nixon returned from his first meeting with Chairman Mao, he brought back a couple Chinese surgeons who used acupuncture. Time Magazine dedicated a publication to it in (pehaps) 1972. The Chinese physicians demonstrated to physicians in the United States. how they used acupuncture to accomplish anesthesia during major surgeries. Time reported an instance where a lady in the United States had a tumor removed from her neck, using acupuncture instead of traditional anesthesia. The lady was wide awake during the entire procedure.
One might think of the nerves (neural cells) in the body as drinking straws, carrying an electrlyte fluid that carries energy. The synapses between them are as intersections with stoplights that COULD synchronize efficiently, but frequently do not. Unlike a highway, the cell’s capacity for carrying signals (inverse of impedance) varies over time, with the amount of fluid held in the call. The “somewhat voluntary” electrochemical variations at the synapses determine which energy flows and which energy gets stuck. These choices move your limbs in the voluntary nervous system, and control such functions as the movement of food through your intestines, in the involuntary nervous system. In the case of your knee pain, shutting down synapses that carry pain to the spine, or possibly even reducing the amount of fluid in a neuron that carries the pain, reduces your sensation of pain back at the brain.
I do not understand the factors that affect the duration of this pain relief. To some extent that depends upon how your own body reacts.
What became clear in Nixon’s era, is that Western Medicine had no means of explaining the well understood scientific methods underlying acupuncture. 35 year later, we have accepted that it works, Certify our practitioners, and rely upon Chinese educators to teach the subject.
Seeing that you live in Los Angeles, I might suggest walking the streets of Chinatown — to the East and slightly North of Union Station. In that neighborhood there are a number of street-front Chinese physicians, who will be pleased to explain their understanding of acupuncture — usually at no charge.
Acupuncture is my miracle. I have a severe back problem, very painful, called spondylolesthesis, caused by a separation of the L5.
Several doctors said I needed surgery. I tried everything including
shots. Lived on pain killers. It was a year of agony. Mostly the pain was sciatica, but also I had spasms in the lower back and hips.
Then I tried acupuncture. He was a doctor (MD) from Beijing. It took fourtreatments, which included some electricity. Then I began to get periods of relief during the day. After six treatments I was able to function almost normally. After 2 years he moved to another state. I now go to a non-MD who is on the licensing Board for NYS acupuncturists. It’s been about 10 years. I go twice a week. I rarely have pain. I never take any pain killers unless I have a blinding headache, or something. My immune system has been strengthened tremendously and I now take phytonutrients and eat healthier
because I am convinced that the body can heal itself and we are responsible for maintaining our good health. No doctor can give you everything. You have to work with your body to help it heal. My acupuncturist has also helped my arthritis. When I developed TMJ, my dentist suggested I go to the acupuncturist. After four treatments, that was gone forever. It’s not witch doctor stuff — it really works for me. Try it, don’t be afraid. It doesn’t hurt and it can only improve what is wrong with your body. Everyone reacts differently, but if you understand the yin and yang of balance, you can accept the possibility that acupuncture can help. My miracle is that I have no pain, can walk and bend, and I don’t need medicine. I cannot carry heavy things and I have to stay away from damp, cold areas and I have to keep exercising. But — it’s a miracle — I have no more pain! PS recently took x-rays. I still have the spondylolesthesis. Whatever . . . I don’t hurt. Good luck to you!!