Acupuncture: Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles into "acupuncture points" on the body. According to acupunctural teachings this will restore health and well-being. The definition and characterization of these points is controversial. Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Other types of acupuncture (Japanese, Korean, and classical Chinese acupuncture) are practiced and taught throughout the world.

History

In China, the practice of acupuncture can perhaps be traced as far back as the 1st millennium BC, and archeological evidence has been identified with the period of the Han dynasty (from 202 BC to 220 AD). Forms of it are also described in the literature of traditional Korean medicine where it is called chimsul. It is also important in Kampo, the traditional medicine system of Japan.

Recent examinations of Ötzi, a 5000-year-old mummy found in the Alps, have identified over fifty tattoos on his body, some of which are located on acupuncture points that would today be used to treat ailments Ötzi suffered from. Some scientists believe that this is evidence that practices similar to acupuncture were practiced elsewhere in Eurasia during the early bronze age. However, there is no evidence that those tattoos were used as acupuncture points or if they were just decorative in nature.

Acupuncture's origins in China are uncertain. The earliest Chinese medical texts (Ma-wang-tui graves 68 BC) do not mention acupuncture. The Chinese medical text that first describes acupuncture is The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (History of Acupuncture), which was compiled around 305-204 B.C. Some hieroglyphics have been found dating back to 1000 B.C. that may indicate an early use of acupuncture. Bian stones, sharp pointed stones used to treat diseases in ancient times, have also been discovered in ruins (History of Acupuncture in China); some scholars believe that the bloodletting for which these stones were likely used presages certain acupuncture techniques.

RC Crozier in the book Traditional medicine in modern China (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1968) says the early Chinese Communist Party expressed considerable antipathy towards classical forms of Chinese medicine, ridiculing it as superstitious, irrational and backward, and claiming that it conflicted with the Party's dedication to science as the way of progress. Acupuncture was included in this criticism. Reversing this position, Communist Party Chairman Mao later said that "Chinese medicine and pharmacology are a great treasure house and efforts should be made to explore them and raise them to a higher level" Acupuncture as a mainstream health practice was saved from oblivion by a single event during world war two China. Growing frustrated with the frequency of rest stops that were needed to be taken by his troops during long marches; Chairman Mao was advised that if his troops 'massaged' (applied acupressure) to the acupuncture point 'stomach 36 (three miles of the foot)' they would be able to march further and longer while needing to rest less frequently. Delighted and impressed by the results of this practice Chairman Mao was 'turned on' to acupuncture and is said to have exclaimed that "there is the goodness of a whole chicken in Stomach 36!". Representatives were sent out across China to collect information about the theories and practices of Chinese medicine. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the formalized system of Chinese medicine that was created out of this effort. TCM combines the use of Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, tui na and other modalities. After the Cultural Revolution, TCM instruction was incorporated into university medical curricula under the "Three Roads" policy, wherein TCM, biomedicine and a synthesis of the two would all be encouraged and permitted to develop. After this time, forms of classical Chinese medicine other than TCM were outlawed, and some practitioners left China. The first forms of acupuncture to reach the United States were brought by non-TCM practitioners, many employing styles that had been handed down in family lineages, or from master to apprentice (collectively known as "Classical Chinese Acupuncture").

Clinical Practice

Most modern acupuncturists use disposable stainless steel needles of fine diameter (0.007" to 0.020", 0.18mm to 0.51 mm), sterilized with ethylene oxide or by autoclave. The upper third of these needles is wound with a thicker wire (typically bronze), or covered in plastic, to stiffen the needle and provide a handle for the acupuncturist to grasp while inserting. The size and type of needle used, and the depth of insertion, depend on the acupuncture style being practiced.

Warming an acupuncture point, typically by moxibustion (the burning of mugwort), is a different treatment than acupuncture itself and is often, but not exclusively, used as a supplementing treatment. 

The Chinese term zhen jiu, commonly used to refer to acupuncture, comes from zhen meaning "needle", and jiu meaning "moxibustion". Moxibustion is still used in the 21st century to varying degrees among the schools of oriental medicine. For example, one well known technique is to insert the needle at the desired acupuncture point, attach dried mugwort to the external end of an acupuncture needle, and then ignite the mugwort. The mugwort will then smolder for several minutes (depending on the amount adhered to the needle) and conduct heat through the needle to the tissue surrounding the needle in the patient's body. Another common technique is to hold a large glowing stick of moxa over the needles. Moxa is also sometimes burned at the skin surface, usually by applying an ointment to the skin to protect from burns.

An example of acupuncture treatment

In western medicine, vascular headaches (the kind that are accompanied by throbbing veins in the temples) are typically treated with analgesics such as aspirin and/or by the use of agents such as niacin that dilate the affected blood vessels in the scalp, but in acupuncture a common treatment for such headaches is to stimulate the sensitive points that are located roughly in the center of the webs between the thumbs and the palms of the patient, the hé gu points. These points are described by acupuncture theory as "targeting the face and head" and are considered to be the most important point when treating disorders affecting the face and head. The patient reclines, and the points on each hand are first sterilized with alcohol, and then thin, disposable needles are inserted to a depth of approximately 3-5 mm until a characteristic "twinge" is felt by the patient, often accompanied by a slight twitching of the area between the thumb and hand. Most patients report a pleasurable "tingling" sensation and feeling of relaxation while the needles are in place. The needles are retained for 15-20 minutes while the patient rests, and then are removed.

In the clinical practice of acupuncturists, patients frequently report one or more of certain kinds of sensation that are associated with this treatment, sensations that are stronger than those that would be felt by a patient not suffering from a vascular headache:

• Extreme sensitivity to pain at the points in the webs of the thumbs.
• In bad headaches, a feeling of nausea that persists for roughly the same period as the stimulation being administered to the webs of the thumbs.
• Simultaneous relief of the headache.

Indications according to acupuncturists in the West

According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004), acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for these conditions:

• Acute and chronic pain control
• Posttraumatic and postoperative ileus
• Muscle spasms, tremors, tics, contractures
• Paresthesias
• Anxiety, fright, panic
• Drug detoxification
• Neuralgias (trigeminal, herpes zoster, postherpetic pain, other)
• Seventh nerve palsy
• Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia)
• Certain functional gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, esophageal spasm, hyperacidity, irritable bowel)
• Headache, vertigo (Meniere disease), tinnitus
• Phantom pain
• Frozen shoulder
• Cervical and lumbar spine syndromes
• Plantar fasciitis
• Arthritis/arthrosis
• Bursitis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sprains and contusions
• In fractures, assisting in pain control, edema, and enhancing healing process
• Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism
• Dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain
• Insomnia
• Anorexia
• Atypical chest pain (negative workup)
• Idiopathic palpitations, sinus tachycardia
• Allergic sinusitis
• Persistent hiccups
• Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
• Constipation, diarrhea
• Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect)
• Abdominal distention/flatulence
• Severe hyperthermia
• Cough with contraindications for narcotics
• Anesthesia for high-risk patients or patients with previous adverse responses to anesthetics

Resources Links about Acupuncture

Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
Acupuncture schools offering accredited Masters and Doctoral degree programs in Acupuncture and Traditional Oriental medicine; massage certificate programs. Campuses in San Diego, New York, Chicago.

Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture
The Arizona's first college to be approved by the Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners and the Valley's first to be awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM).

Acupuncture.com
Acupuncturist directory and Acupuncture school referral services.

American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
Promote the integration of concepts from traditional and modern forms of acupuncture with Western medical training and thereby synthesize a more comprehensive approach to health care.

The British Acupuncture Council
The UK's main regulatory body for the practice of acupuncture by over 2500 professionally qualified acupuncturists.

Alternative Healthcare Options (AHO)
Presently in the United States there are over 4,000 licensed acupuncturists serving patients for a wide variety of conditions. Acupuncture involves the placement of small thin needles into various parts of the body which somehow stimulate the body's natural protective and pain fighting systems.

Network for OptimalAging and Wellness
A Medical Network consisting of an Allopath, Osteopath, Naturopath, Acupuncturist, Chelationist that offer self assessments, directions, and supplements that help you with Optimal Aging and Wellness.

Acupuncture and Chronic Pain
Acupuncture is an ancient art of healing that dates back to at least 2,500 years. It has been widely practiced in China and many other Asian countries, acupuncture accentuates on the natural healing of the body. It involves stimulating acupuncture points by the insertion of very fine, solid, metallic needles.

Paedeatric Acupuncture (Children)
Acupuncture is a wonderful medicine for children. It has a long and venerable history in China, and it is growing in popularity in the West. It can help in a very wide range of conditions and illnesses, even some which cannot be helped by orthodox medicine.