Healthy Healing with Acupuncture

By Alison Brunson

Imagine that you are lying on a table with a dozen needles stuck in various places on your body. Now imagine all of the pain and tension ebbing from you as you fall into a state of total relaxation. This is not the vision that most people get when they think about acupuncture, but it is actually very accurate. The ancient technique of acupuncture has recently been brought to the attention of the American public as part of the new age health revolution that has swept the nation. As western medicine continues to push the financial and ethical envelope, many Americans are beginning to question its absolute authority. They seek a new kind of medicine, one that integrates the best of traditional and holistic approaches to produce a result that is affordable and highly effective. As one of the oldest and most respected forms of alternative medicine, acupuncture will continue to gain acceptance with Americans seeking a higher standard of care. An inquiry into the background and uses of acupuncture insures that an educated decision can be made by all.

There are countless misconceptions that are commonly held about acupuncture. A basic knowledge of the topic can easily discredit these faulty ideas. One such idea is that acupuncture is in some way unsafe for the patient. The only way a patient could be harmed is if the needles were placed incorrectly, which can easily be avoided by only seeing an acupuncturist who has years of training and experience under his or her belt. Another untrue belief is that acupuncture treatments are unsanitary because the needles could possibly spread disease: this is simply not true. Acupuncture needles are not hollow like hypodermic needles, so blood and tissue are far less likely to remain on a needle and be transmitted to another person. Due to this, disease transmission was extremely rare even in ancient China when needles weren't sterilized. More importantly, today's acupuncturists are required by law to use disposable needles that are thrown away after each use (Shay).

Many people don't believe that acupuncture is effective and merely dismiss it as a sham without ever examining the scientific findings that support it. According to James S. Gordon, M.D., "Needling at various points has . . . been shown to raise levels of endorphins, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters in the brain, to improve the immune response and to enhance pulmonary function" (2207). The release of endorphins does much to explain why acupuncture works. Endorphins are brain chemicals that are natural pain relievers. They are also believed to be responsible for the "runner's high" or "positive bodily state" experienced by joggers (Feldman 67).

The most understandable misconception is that acupuncture is painful. Most people would not usually think of having needles stuck into them as a pleasurable experience, for having any sharp metal object inserted under the skin would likely inspire fear in most. Fortunately, acupuncture needles are not like hypodermic needles; they don't have to be thick enough to inject or remove liquid. Acupuncture needles are hair-thin (Worsnop 128) and painlessly inserted into a predetermined point to tap into your energy flow, which is vastly different from poking around in search of a vein. After the needles are removed it is nearly impossible to tell where they have been inserted no matter their length (Duke 89-90).

The benefits of acupuncture become all the more apparent when it is compared with western medicine. Acupuncture is uninvasive, for it requires no operations or drugs to work. It is a natural therapy that relies on the body's power to heal itself and correct any imbalances. This fact is a direct cause of another benefit of acupuncture which is cost. Dr. Eugene L. Shay, a chiropractor who has been practicing acupuncture for over twenty years, says that he charges between ten and thirty-five dollars, "depend[ing] on the time it takes to give the treatment and how many needles are used." This amount of money isn't likely to cover the cost of a prescription given by a western doctor, let alone any other fees. Also, an acupuncture treatment may permanently alleviate an ailment after just one treatment; therefore, it requires no checkups unless the symptoms reappear.

The history of acupuncture is a long and rich one. It was founded in China around 2697 B.C. by Emperor Huang Ti and his chief minister and doctor Ch'i Po. Through lengthy discussions on human anatomy and Chinese theory, the two men were able to draw some conclusions about anatomy, medicine, and health. Huang Ti compiled this information into a book called the Nei Ching . This book set the standard in medicine for centuries after it was written, and it contains information about blood circulation, nerves, and detailed explanations of organ functions (Duke 54-55). The book was passed down from generation to generation in ancient China. Acupuncture was the trusted medicine for thousands of years and was relied on by everyone from the richest emperor to the lowest peasant. It is the traditional medicine of China and makes the tradtional medicine of the western world, which is only about 150 years old, seem new in comparison.

As the main form of medicine in ancient China, acupuncture was used to treat almost every ailment known to man. An extensive listing of these illnesses was compiled and published in The People's Hygiene Publishing House by the Peking School of Chinese Medicine in 1960. Influenza, athsma, pneumonia, cholera, peptic ulcers, rheumatism, cataracts, and sterility were just a few of those included (Duke 122 and 126). Acupuncture is still used to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Dr. Shay uses it to treat back pain, headaches, circulatory problems, athsma, digestive disorders, and more. Recently acupuncture has even been used as an anesthesia for surgery. It is valued greatly because it leaves the patient conscious but totally pain-free throughout the entire operation. This is beneficial because the patient doesn't have to recover from the anesthesia after the operation. It requires only one or two needles inserted twenty minutes before the operation and stimuli, which is either hand twisting or electric during the operation (Duke 3-6). Even though it has only recently come to the attention of the western world, "Acupuncture has been used as the only anesthetic in more than four hundred thousand operations in Chine since 1968" (Duke 4).

The integration of acupuncture into western medicine could bring an answer to some of the problems that are plaguing our country. Ironically, the fact that acupuncture is so affordable will probably be the reason that it won't be embraced by western medicine. Such cheap and effective alternatives would mean lowered cost of health care, which means doctor's salaries would go down, and drug companies won't give money to research a therapy that won't bring in a fraction of what the drugs they are currently producing do. This is sad because acupuncture could provide excellent quality health care at a much lower cost. It also promotes better doctor-patient relations since acupuncturists heal holistically--by taking into account both mind and body. In order to get the care it deserves, America must take the time to learn about techniques like acupuncture and speak out for what it wants!

Works Cited

Duke, Marc. Acupuncture. New York: Pyramid, 1972.
Feldman, Rodert S. Understanding Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.
Gordon, James S., M.D. "Alternative Medicine and the Family Physician." American

	Family Physician 15 Nov. 1996.
Shay, Eugene L., D.C. Telephone interview. 2 Mar. 1998.
Worsnop, Richard L. "Alternative Medicine's Next Phase." The CQ Researcher 14 Feb. 1997.