By: Dr. Ece Algur, LAc, DACM, MD
Is Acupuncture Good Only For Pain? NO!
Acupuncture is one of the five pillars of Traditional Chine Medicine (TCM). Chinese Herbology, acupuncture, eastern nutrition, tuina, and qi gong are the five components of TCM.
In TCM, the body and its functions are seen as a balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Perfect health is achieved when the body maintains a balanced state of yin and yang. On the contrary, disease is a result of an imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (energy) along meridian pathways (the channels containing acupuncture points) and these blockages can lead to physical or emotional illness. The needling of the points where energy pools promote the movement of blocked energy.
TCM has a long history, more than four thousand years’ worth. For thousands of years, TCM was the main medicine practiced in Asia. After the progress of Western Medicine, the scientific methods and approaches proved the practicality and secure repetitiveness of the treatment methods of Western Medicine, and TCM became a complementary medicine in wellbeing worldwide. So, acupuncture is now used as part of the treatment for all kinds of problems.
Acupuncture became more and more known in the USA after the Nixon administration’s visit to China in 1972. A New York Times columnist (James Reston) underwent an emergency appendectomy without regular anesthesia but with acupuncture pain management during this visit. He wrote an article about his positive experience with acupuncture. After this, acupuncture became more popular in the U.S.
Today, the World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as an effective option for chronic and acute pain management, hormone and pregnancy-related issues, allergies, digestive issues, hypertension, anxiety, and depression. Clinical trials of acupuncture have also shown positive outcomes when used to treat the side effects of chemotherapy drugs.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective way to manage pain, digestive disorders, allergies, fertility issues, PMS, migraines, anxiety, depression, and more. The treatments aim to balance the body to function more optimally and are great options to use in collaboration with conventional treatments or for conditions that are not responsive to conventional medicine.
My answer to the question if acupuncture could be used for a “x” problem is, most of the time, “YES!”