Healing Through Acupuncture
For many, the idea of being poked by numerous needles is hardly appealing even if it is beneficial. In fact, it is downright terrifying for those with belonephobia i.e. an abnormal fear of sharply pointed objects, especially needles. However, imagined fears rarely present the real picture and the only antidote to those fears is through knowledge and familiarisation.
Is the Pain as Bad as It Looks?
Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medical philosophy, which interprets human physiology and its illness quite differently than contemporary science. Back then, there were no concepts of the existence of cells, modern physiology, biochemistry, nutrition or mechanisms of healing. Instead, it is premised upon the understanding that energy flows within the human body and this energy can be channeled to create balance and health. This energy flow is called “Qi” (and pronounced “chee”) and Qi moves throughout the body along 12 main channels known as meridians. In essence, the meridians represent the major organs and functions of the body but these meridians do not follow the exact pathways of nerves or blood flow as mapped out by western medical practice.
The point of acupuncture is to correct the imbalances of the Qi and restore health through stimulation. Thus, fine needles are inserted through the skin at points along the meridians of the body. It is site-specific for specific diseases and disorders. However, contrary to popular misconception, it does not involve painfully deep poking. Acupuncture merely entails the stimulation of certain points on or near the surface of the skin. In general, there is very little pain associated with acupuncture treatment and most will only experience either a mild tingling sensation or a little dull ache. Some have likened it to very slight pinpricks or discomfort of normal ant bites.
Resiliency of Acupuncture
The origins of acupuncture remain hazy in view of the lack of records. It is widely accepted that the theory and practice of acupuncture originated in China. However, the discovery of tattoo incisions on the acupuncture meridians of Otzi, the mummified Iceman, prompted a revisit of such beliefs. Some scientists went on to suggest that those tattoos are evidence that acupuncture actually predates the Asian acupuncture tradition by at least 2,000 years.
In any event, the earliest existing documentation relating to acupuncture are the ancient scriptures found in 198 BC sealed within the “Ma-Wang-Dui” tomb in China. The scriptures did not spell out the details of acupuncture procedures but contained certain references to the meridian system. The earliest ancient documentation in existence specifically relating to acupuncture procedures is “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine” from China, dating back to around 100 BC. This book captures the exchanges between the Chinese Emperor and his learned minister, Chhi-Po, regarding acupuncture. It primarily sets out the details and explanations about the meridians, Qi flows and pressure points. The details of precise sites of acupuncture points were not specifically addressed. Such acupuncture points were only documented much later. The bronze statues with acupuncture points that are still in use today were developed in the 15th Century for teaching and examination purposes.
From the 14th Century and all throughout the Ming Dynasty, the practice of acupuncture flourished and culminated in the use of massage, diet, various herbs and heat therapy or “moxibustion” to enhance the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments. It was during this golden period that “The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion”, a leading text on acupuncture was published. This book sets out the principles of acupuncture on which modern practices of this tradition rest.
The 17th Century was a dark time for acupuncture as it acquired a reputation for being a superstitious and irrational practice. Having become tangled in politics, things deteriorated to the point that the Emperor issued a decree in 1822 to exclude the practice of acupuncture from the Imperial Medical Institute. Despite this exclusion, some rural healers and scholars steadfastly held on to the knowledge of this practice. Acupuncture practitioners did not face official persecution (as it was not strictly illegal to do so at that time) but they were heavily stigmatised. Then, with the advent of Western medicine in the 20th Century, acupuncture practice fell further into disrepute. 1929 was the final nail on the coffin as the practice of acupuncture was outlawed in China along with other forms of traditional medicine.
Fortunately, 1949 was a huge turning point which marked the revival of acupuncture. The communist government had a change of heart and made a huge effort to restore the practices of traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, to their former glory. With governmental support, acupuncture research institutes mushroomed across China contributing to the development and growth of this practice. Acupuncture was even introduced and incorporated into selected hospitals around China. Since then, interest in this ancient healing practice kept growing.
Modern Relevancy
From its turbulent past, acupuncture developed over the next few centuries and gradually became part of the standard suite of alternative healing therapies across the world. A versatile treatment method, it has been used for pain management and to treat conditions of varying degree, from minor aches to life threatening illnesses.
The following narratives from PIEWK, a professionally trained Chinese physician who graduated from China’s Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, serves to better illustrate the workings of acupuncture as an alternative healing method.
Acupuncture Helps to Revive Minor Stroke Patients
A few years ago, I had an emergency request to treat a patient with minor stroke. She was a 52-year-old lady who suddenly noticed that her speech was slurred and her gait unsteady. She was referred to me by her friend.
As a traditional Chinese medicine (“TCM”) physician, I read her pulse and checked her tongue. Her tongue appeared greyish in colour and her face was pale. Her pulse was tense and irregular. I asked her to lie down on the clinic bed and I performed acupuncture on her scalp, neck, hand and legs, coupled with electrical stimulation and moxibustion. The whole session took about 45 minutes.
The patient felt immediate relief during and after the acupuncture session. After treatment, her tongue colour became red, which indicated good blood circulation to the heart and brain. She was also able to speak clearly.
When acupuncture is performed on a patient who has stroke-related symptoms such as an unsteady gait, slurred speech, numbness on one side of the body, weakness, dizziness, etc., the application of needles to the relevant meridian points help to enhance the Qi and blood circulation. The patient may feel a slight prickling pain, soreness, numbness, or a pulling or “current” flowing sensation, due to the manipulation of Qi during the treatment. After the acupuncture needles are removed, the above sensations will eventually subside.
After treating the patient, I advised her to go to the hospital the very next day for a CT scan and any other necessary check-ups to ensure she was fine. To her and her cardiac doctor’s surprise, there was nothing significantly alarming about her test results despite her earlier stroke-related symptoms.
My youngest stroke patient was a 23-year-old young man and my oldest was a 92-year-old bed-ridden woman. Both of them came regularly for acupuncture treatment. Through observing their rate of recovery, it became apparent that the golden period for acupuncture treatment is the first three months (from the stroke). Those who immediately start acupuncture during that period tend to have quicker recovery of limb movement, are more likely able to stand on their own feet and also go back to their normal daily routine. In contrast, those who fail to get acupuncture during that period tend to recover with limited limb movement and usually require the assistance of a wheelchair or walking stick for mobility.
Acupuncture is safe for those with heart disease as well as stroke patients who are on anti-coagulants as it is a non-invasive treatment. The needles are applied onto meridian points without pricking the veins or nerves. The only side effect is the ant-bite pain sensation which is usually tolerable.
Acupuncture Relieves Neck and Shoulder Stiffness
A businessman walked into my clinic with difficulty turning his head. He was unable to look to the left or right and also could not look up or down. He was puzzled as to why he had such bad neck stiffness, as he had started using a special pillow many years ago. I checked his pulse, asked a few questions and checked his neck as well as his shoulder by pressing a few meridian points.
He confessed that he had eaten quite a lot of durians a couple of days ago. He also admitted to being a hot-tempered person. I found his pulse to be quite tense and his tongue appeared dark red which indicated he was “heaty”. The excess heat was not severe enough to cause a fever but it exhausted his body fluids (the “Yin”) thereby causing stiffness of his muscles.
I performed acupuncture on his neck and shoulder area. After half an hour of treatment, he could happily turn his head in all directions with ease. Acupuncture not only restored his neck and shoulder movement but also cleared away the excess body heat and improved the circulation of Qi and blood to the relevant meridian points.
Neck and shoulder stiffness is a common problem with office workers, youngsters and IT folks. In addition to working long hours on the computer, they also spend a lot of time tilting their heads to look down at their cell phones. This results in bad Qi and poor blood circulation which easily causes stiffness to the head, neck and shoulders. This prolonged bad circulation caused by unhealthy posture can even lead to numbness of the arms, fingers and even headaches and dizziness.
Acupuncture on the neck and shoulder meridians will help to improve circulation of Qi and blood to the area, thus relieving muscle stiffness and pain. Immediate relief can usually be felt after a session of acupuncture treatment. In some severe cases, more sessions of acupuncture are required. In any event, if the stiffness or pain persists after ten sessions of acupuncture, then it is advisable for the patient to do an x-ray examination of the cervical (neck) bone to rule out any other diseases or changes, for example bone spurs or degeneration.
Acupuncture Relieves Muscle Pains
I often have patients who complain of body aches and want to know if acupuncture can help. Most of them are afraid of “pain” as acupuncture is related to the use of needles. However, the pain is actually minimal and tolerable. In fact, the needles are actually applied on meridian points nearer to the surface of the skin. However, as the meridians are very close to micro blood vessels and nerves, one will experience a sensation of pricking pain, soreness, numbness, or even itchiness around the area.
An acupuncture session normally lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and usually done using disposable needles for hygiene purposes. After treatment, some immediately stop feeling any discomfort. Even those with severe conditions who require more sessions reportedly feel a reduction of the muscle pain by half after the first treatment.
When a patient feels immediate relief, they tend to ignore follow-up treatments. In reality, follow-up treatments are very important as body aches are just symptoms and the cause of such symptoms need to be treated. For example, leg or knee pain is usually related to the spine. Thus, the only way to really cure leg or knee pain is to address the problematic condition of the spine.
For acute sprains, one can apply an ice pack on the painful area which relieves the pain and swelling. But if after a few days, the swelling persists and movements become limited, it is advisable to seek acupuncture treatment and physiotherapy. After acupuncture, it is advisable for the patient to abstain from consuming cold or iced drinks as well as hot and spicy foods which will delay the recovery process.
Conclusion
With promising results, the practice of acupuncture is slowly being accepted by the modern western medical community as a legitimate form of medical treatment. This is likely spurred on by the growing trend of reliance on acupuncture by the public and the positive results and glowing feedback. However, due to a lack of scientific and empirical evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture, scepticism remains high. Nonetheless, a good thing can only be kept under wraps for so long before people come to see its true worth. Judging from its past, it is only a matter of time before acupuncture pokes its way to global recognition as a mainstream medical treatment.
Sources/References
- http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/acupuncture
- http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/Acupuncture_Paper.pdf
- http://www.ncahf.org/pp/acu.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture
- http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Acupuncture/Pages/Introduction.aspx
- https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/category/public-content/public-ask-an-expert/ask-an-expert-about-acupuncture/ask-an-expert-about-acupuncture-does-it-hurt.html
- http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.a3115
- https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/paranormal/creatures-and-monsters/the-curse-of-otzi-the-iceman.html
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Thank you for the great information about acupuncture. Knowing this popular Chinese healing therapy using needles into a person body to relief pain and make a person feel better. A effective and powerful way for some who prefer traditional medication. I had learned that this treatment is believed to create energy balances and to remove negative blockages from the body.
I do have friends who often visit an acupuncturist for their muscle aches and pains. I have seen improvements in their health conditions. To me, I always support traditional medications and I do believe that this treatment had cured many chronic illnesses.
Thanks for the sharing, hope this article will help to clear thoughts for some who is seeking to visit one.
The practice of acupuncture is slowly being accepted by the modern western medical community as a legitimate form of medical treatment. People should try to do acupuncture as it is a very helpful way to heal.
Thank you to sharing this article. More people will trust the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment.
Dear Rinpoche,
I’m impressed that this article suggested that acupuncture may have existed much earlier with the suggested case of the tattoos found on Otzi, a non-Asian case. Maybe, there are other cultures might have been using this method as well? All along I thought this is only a Chinese method of healing. I haven’t tried before but have heard of it’s effectiveness and is one of the methods that can be considered by the elderly because it involves non-invasive procedures.
Acupuncture is known helping to improve circulation of Qi and blood to the treatment area, thus relieving muscle stiffness and pain. If follow-up treatments are done well, the patients are expected to be healed completely or at least improvements. To me, it’s just like we’re using mantras and/or the breathing exercise to heal our body. Of course, chanting mantras has more benefits in terms of spirituality. Looks like acupuncture is here to stay for many years to come and perhaps it has much more benefits than this.
Thank you for this post as it has deepened my knowledge in regard to this matter.
This is a very good information about Chinese tradition medical acupuncture. This method is so reliable that it has been used over a millennium, and until now people are still rely on this medical method, it’s really amazing. Nowadays can see a number of Traditional Chinese clinic that has acupuncture. Personally, I know about acupuncture since small. But never had the chance to try it. Maybe seeing the needle poking on the body, looks like serious illness, but as age gain, knowing that it actually helps in many ways, not only serious illness. Another reason could be personally I am scared of needles. That shouldn’t be a reason stopping me to try acupuncture in near future. Maybe one day I should go try it.
Most people have tried already acupuncture in our discussion group. Yet some are very scared of the needles. Although the needles are very small and don’t hurt much. I like to seek help via acupuncture as it is a non invasive treatment and it does not use medicine with secondary effects.
I think more people should try acupuncture as it is a very helpful way to heal. Thank you for sharing this interesting article.
I personally support the Acupuncture treatment. I had experience it and get the benefit for it. Many years ago I had leg pain on my leg and I went for specialist and will be advised for operation. I did not do so but went for acupuncture treatment and the pain gone. Thereafter the specialist also advised me do not need for operation anymore. I am now still go for acupuncture treatment for others sickness. However through experience I would say what works for one person, may not work for another and not all acupuncturists are the same. You need to keep an open mind.
According to Buddha, there are 84,000 teachings from him to fit individually because everyone is unique, all of us have different background, living environment, experience, characteristic and more. Hence, I think different types of medical treatment are going to fit us individually, such as accupunture, not all individual have positive outcome with the treatment, and it is the same with other types of treatment. However, what is important is to be open minded and try out as many things as we can, to get healed, experience, and more.
Thank you for this informative article. I’m glad to know that arcupunture has became a rapidly growing medical specialty worldwide. No doubt arcupunture is scary but from my experience, I think it is definitely effective. I love the way it promotes the body’s remarkable self-healing abilities.
Accupuncture in Chinese medical history has banifit many people heal for all type of illnesses, release pain and etc. Personal i had experincing accupncture treament quit well and go regularly for treament when i get sick. I guest most of people had experince it at the east, but now western doctor also start recognize the banifit and using more accupuncture treatmen at Europe countries. I do hope this type of art and skill not loss the lineage and carry forward to future.
There are many benefits from the treatment of acupuncture and personally I have been visiting the TCM regularly be it for injuries or relaxation.
Of course every individual will have different experience and effect but most of the people that I came about had good feedback. Below are some of the benefit that I experienced and what I read from.
1. Improved Health and Quality of Life
This is achieved because acupuncture balances the body’s energy systems. Our life styles, thought patterns and diets create imbalance in the body. Acupuncture helps to balance these energy systems through acupuncture points. These points are gateways to the body’s energy flow. They help to take the “load” off of excess and redirect that Qi (loosely translated as energy) to the areas in your body that are deficient.
2. Stress Reduction
This is also accomplished by balancing your body’s energy. A little stress is actually good for you, but most people today experience far too much of it. Experience these high stress levels day after day makes it very difficult for your body to relax and balance; regular acupuncture treatments are a powerful way to enable this relaxation and balance.
3. Pain Reduction
Helping with chronic and acute pain is one of the most common applications of acupuncture. Arthritis, neck pain, back pain, menstrual pain, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, joint sprains & strains, digestive pain etc. are very commonly helped by acupuncture. If you experience migraine, cluster and other headaches you can often find relief right there on the table. The results can be amazing.
4. Improved and Faster Recovery from Injury, Illness and Surgery
This can be accomplished using acupuncture to increase circulation, reduce inflammation and reduce scaring. “Weekend warrior” types of injuries are known to heal much faster with acupuncture. Many professional sports teams have staff acupuncturists.
5. Emotional Balance
Achieving emotional balance can be both the primary focus of acupuncture treatment and is also a positive “side effect” when you use acupuncture for other reasons. Depression, anxiety, frustration, and worry are a few emotional imbalances treated. Acupuncture points have a physical and emotional aspect to their function and most times both of those aspects are accessed during the acupuncture treatment.
6. Respiratory Health
This can be very effectively achieved with acupuncture! Allergies, asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis are conditions that are positively impacted with acupuncture every day. Being aware of indoor pollutants – cleaning chemicals, out gassing of plastics & fabrics, molds etc. and taking steps to reduce them can also reduce respiratory imbalances. Nasal irrigation is also very helpful.
7. Insomnia Relief
Insomnia and other sleep issues are also very commonly addressed by acupuncture. Since insomnia and sleep disturbances can be caused from stress, injury, pain and emotional imbalance, good sleep can also be a positive “side effect” when acupuncture is used for other primary reasons. An acupuncture treatment can easily be focused on insomnia and sleep disturbances.
8. Strengthening Your Immune System
This can be accomplished through balancing your body’s energy systems with acupuncture. Stress, illness, environmental toxins, and allergies, are just a few of the causes of a weakened immune system.
9. Premenstrual (PMS) and Menopausal Symptom Relief
I would venture to say that every experienced acupuncturist has helped with PMS and relieving menopausal symptoms. These conditions are very common, of course, and acupuncture is very effective in treating the symptoms associated with them. Headaches, cramping, sleep disturbances, mood swings, night sweats, cycle length and duration, and pimples are just a few of the common symptoms.
10. Reduction of Side Effects of Chemo and Radiation Therapies
This can also be a very powerful benefit of acupuncture. The side effects acupuncture can help include (but are not limited to) coughing, fever, anxiousness, nausea, depression, night sweats, dry mouth, pain, diarrhea, and constipation. Improved quality of life is, without a doubt, experienced by many cancer patient I have treated.
I can attest to the experiences people witnessed when receiving accupuncture. It is another level of experience and I must say there are minor numbness and pain feelings in each of the session but nevertheless it is very effective. I can feel air flowing within my body during the treatment and I must say it very effective way of curing illnesses and at the same time cost effective.
Am not a fan of acupuncture as I don’t like the sensation as they twist and turn the needles. The tingling sensation is a bit overwhelming at certain parts. Although effective but I don’t think I would like to use this method long term.
I prefer acupressure as they are not invasive and as effective as acupuncture. No matter what the therapy is, to relief or to eradicate the pain effectively, we should always do follow up treatment.
Acupuncture has proved to cure countless illnesses through out the centuries. Today acupuncture has been widely used through out the world and even combine with western medication to generate quicker result in the healing process.
I’ve done acupuncture for my shoulder and neck stiffness and knee injury. It’s very effective. i like it cause it realised pain very quick. Lately my daughter was treated and healed her many years skin problem via acupuncture. It’s to stimulate her imusystem. Acupuncture also healed my late-mother from her slipdisc.
Acupuncture is a profound and effective way of treatment that all should try.
I’ve had my fair share of TCM treatments from acupuncture to acupressure, moxibustion, cupping, tui na and including consuming Chinese herbs. These treatments do work well. I don’t quite fancy acupuncture because I had to lie without moving for more that 30 minutes, moxibustion is the same plus the smoke emitted is strong. Cupping is more painful than acupuncture, leaving the areas blue black. I prefer acupressure and tui na even though the treatment may be painful at the affected areas.
I’m a big supporter of Chinese medicines. For many years, I have consumed Chinese medicine but I never done any acupuncture or moxibustion therapy.
Luck struck me one day when my TCM doctor advice me to take acupuncture treatments. On my first till third treatments, I experienced the imbalanced of Qi in my body that causes me very drowsy, soreness, dizzy, running nose, cold sweat and serious burps that almost make me vomit. I suffered all these symptoms were due to my long duration from work stressed, fatigue and lacking of sleep that had debilitated my whole body immune system.
Looking back, though it’s a terrifying experience for me but I gain more valuable in life. I was safe from bury into hell. Health is wealth.?
Although I have never experienced acupuncture before,but had many feedbacks that it is very effective. Perhaps i should consider trying it for myself too. Thank you Rinpoche for this very interesting and beneficial article about acupuncture._/\_
Acupuncture as an alternative healing method is becoming increasingly popular, even in the west. It is non-invasive. The only thing that has put some people off trying out acupuncture is probably the imagined fear of pain from the needle pricking the skin. Many imagine the needles poking deep into the nerve or vein . But really it is not that horrifying. It merely entails the stimulation of certain points on or near the surface of the skin. One may feel a tingling sensation which is not totally unpleasant.
Recently, I had an acupuncture treatment done to relieve the pain in my right leg. There were six needles used in that treatment. As the needles have to be planted at specific spots in relation to the disorder ( site-specific for specific diseases and disorders), it is imperative that the acupuncturist be a very experienced healer. Although one treatment did not cure me, I still felt an overall lessening of pain the following day! For total cure, one has to have the treatment done consistently over a period of time.
Yes I would advocate using acupuncture as an alternative healing method as it is non-invasive and has no side effect. However, one must have patience and not expect instant total relief or cure.
My mother was a midwife in the Western style hospitals and clinics, so my exposure to Chinese medicine was limited to concoctions of herb infusions that would tackle over heatiness of one’s body. Heatiness is also a Chinese Medicinal concept.
Then at one point His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche sought out traditional chinese practitioners to sort out his pains, and it was Rinpoche who brought mine and other students of Rinpoche to the effectiveness of acupunture and Chinese Medicine in general. Thank you Rinpoche.
I’ve not had acupuncture but from the many friends and relatives who have undergone it, I certainly believe it does help many conditions. Indeed the Western world has incorporated acupuncture into the treatment for migraine, depression and fertility. I would not hesitate to undergo it if I need to.
I believe in acupunture treatment as I have received this treatment many times a few years back when I had terrible backache. It does relieve my pain, although I would need to endure the numbness and prickling feeling during the treatment.
Just like from the experience above where the man have stiff neck after eating durian, me too have leg pain due to having ‘cold’ fruits like mangosteen. Previously, I do not believe in food that has ‘cold’ or ‘heaty’ effect but after having experience it myself I am more careful with my diet. This is the problem when I was too influence by western medicine that we can eat everything as long as it is healthy.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. I hope more people will trust the effectiveness of acupunture treatment as it does help.
Even though my past experience working with needles ,instruments and so forth yet i do not know much about acupuncture .Had not under acupuncture before but i do know it heals some aliments like backache pain and nerves in certain parts of body.What is important is the sterility of the needles and the procedure under by professional and quilified acupuncturist.
The practice of acupuncture is becoming much accepted by the modern western medical community nowadays.They working hand in hand with medical personel as alternative healing therapies. It has been used for pain management and to treat conditions of varying degree, from minor aches to life threatening illnesses.
Very soon it will be recognised as a mainstream of medical treatment.
More patients will get well with both medical and acupuncture treatment.
Thank you for sharing so more people will have a better insight of acupuncture and will seek treatmentas an alternative.
I have many years of experience with receiving acupuncture treatment and I do notice there is a certain range of ailments that acupuncture is particularly good and this is for pain management, regulating the organs, nerves and so forth. I read that in its heyday in ancient China, acupuncture could be used in lieu of anaesthesia in small operations in which the body is cut open without any feeling or sensation.
In other words, all sensation of pain was completely numbed by a few needles. I found that to be simply amazing and by far, my treatments with acupuncture needles has always been pretty good. They are usually coupled with cupping and moxibustion but the outcome is usually really good. When I had nerve injury due to an accident and it was painful even to hold a pen, a combination of acupuncture, cupping and drawing blood was very effective in relieving the pain and healing the nerves.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. I myself is also afraid of acupuncture because of so many needles being used to poke the area of the pain. Early this year, I experienced the acupuncture myself when I had severe backache pain until I was unable to go to work in KSK. Luckily Sunny and Christine introduced a Chinese acupuncture therapist to me to treat my back. Both of them insisted me to go for treatment while I was still procrastinating. Of course during the treatment everything was painful and I was quite nervous as it was my first time doing acupuncture treatment. After the treatment, I thought to myself and said that it was not that bad after all but I do feel the aches on the spots where the needles were poked after a few days. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and until now my backache is gone. I would like to thank Sunny and Christine for introducing the therapist to me.
With folded palms,
Vivian
About 2 months ago, I had my first acupuncture experience. TCM physician applied the needles on a few points, there was 1 point at the leg which I have the “current” flowing sensation but the pain was tolerable.
When we have blockage and our Qi is not flowing smoothly in our body, then we will be sick or in pain. TCM uses many ways to balance the Qi and to stimulate the energy to flow smoothly and acupuncture is one of it. Acupuncture is an ancient wisdom that stood the test of time and still being applied in today’s TCM treatment.
Not every condition can be cured/solved by medicine. The different tradition healing arts have long been pooh-poohed by the Western medical fraternity for having no scientific basis. Also there is the commercial aspect of the medical profession and pharmaceutical conglomerates that is at stake and there is vested interest for these professions/institutions to denigrate and belittle age-old wisdom and practice. Drugs are after all synthetic and are alien to the human constitution. While in certain cases drastic drug intervention may be needed for symptomatic relief, there is the other aspect that we should not forget, that there are always side effects, some short-term, some long-term and some nobody even knows at this point. Clinical trials do not tell you the whole story.
What I can say is that our health is in our own hands and we should never be pressured by society or even the medical profession to subscribe to any particular form of treatment/therapy, if we feel strongly that we do not want to be subjected to it.
Acupuncture has started to take off in the west as, even though they could not fully explain it scientifically, many have who were brave enough to face the needles found that it did help them. In the east, many are returning to their roots of having alternative medicine lie acupuncture. Like the case of the man who ate too much durian and had stiff neck and shoulders.
At the end of the day, if this can help and if the doctor changes his needles after every session, there is no reason to give it a try as this practice has been around in China for hundreds of years.