A year ago, I spent some time telling my story about acupuncture after the stroke in an ego-centric moment. Chronic pain is a bitch. Less pain now but still super
annoying.
(https://stroketales.blogspot.com/2018/04/acupuncture-it-isnt-for-faint-of-heart.html). This post, also about acupuncture, is radically different, and deals with the myths as well as the pros and cons about the ancient art.
The is from Harvard Medical School, written by Daniel Pendick in 2013, who says, “Chronic pain in the muscles and joints can make life miserable. Standard treatments like ice and heat, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and appropriate exercises can often ease the pain. But when they don’t, acupuncture is an option with a good track record that’s worth considering.”
He goes on to say that there has been significant debate about acupuncture and its effectiveness for chronic pain. A team of researchers studied the results of 29 different studies involving nearly 18,000 participants. They concluded acupuncture relieved pain by roughly 50%, reported in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Acupuncture is virtually painless when done by an experienced practitioner, inserting hair-thin needles into the skin at various points. The purpose of the needles is to correct imbalances in the flow of energy called qi (pronounced “chee”), and “is thought to ease pain by affecting neurotransmitters, hormone levels, or the immune system,” says Pendick. “Acupuncture treatments range from $65 to $125 per session.” The acupuncturist usually takes a 3 or 4-year graduate degree covering all aspects of this Chinese medicine that include Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tui Na (massage), Tai Chi/Qi Gong (movement), and Chinese Dietary Therapy.
The Cleveland Clinic sponsored this 2014 article by Jamie Starkey, LAc (meaning Licensed Acupuncturist) in which she explores 10 myths surrounding acupuncture.
Myth 1: Acupuncture hurts — after all, we’re talking needles
Myth 2: Acupuncture is ancient folk medicine; no legitimate healthcare professional would recommend it
Myth 3: Most people who use, or practice, acupuncture are into ‘New Age’ healing
Myth 4: Acupuncture may conflict with medication, physical therapy and other ‘mainstream’ conventional medical treatments
Myth 5: Acupuncture is only useful in treating pain
Myth 6: Acupuncture has a lot of side effects and you’ll need time off work
Myth 7: Acupuncture’s effects are psychological. It doesn’t really do anything
Myth 8: Once you start acupuncture, you’ll always need acupuncture
Myth 9: If you do not see results in one or two treatments, then you’re unlikely to benefit from acupuncture
Myth 10: You’ll need a doctor’s referral or a prescription for acupuncture
“Acupuncture is highly individualized; for example, if 50 people with the common cold received acupuncture, all 50 people could have different acupuncture points chosen as part of their treatment.”
The World Health Organization released a report, Acupuncture:Review of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, which endorses the use of acupuncture for over 200 symptoms and diseases including low back pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, allergic rhinitis, depression/anxiety, side effects of chemotherapy and induction of labor.
Hennessee continues, “Acupuncture gained attention in the U.S. after President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 when an accompanying reporter experienced significant post-operative pain relief after undergoing an emergency appendectomy and wrote about the benefits of acupuncture upon his return to the U.S.”
In the United States alone, it is most common to study Five Element Traditional Acupuncture, TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture, Japanese Acupuncture and Korean Constitutional Acupuncture which are all based in ancient principles of Chinese Medicine.
“One therapy that has received considerable attention for the treatment of chronic pain is acupuncture. In an update of patient data meta-analysis published in the researchers with the Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration concluded that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain, that the effects of acupuncture persist over time, and that the benefits of acupuncture cannot be explained away solely by the placebo effect.”
Jennifer Frost, M.D., medical director for the AAFP’s Health of the Public and Science Division, said, “Many family physicians are open to ‘alternative’ therapies such as acupuncture. Most insurance plans don’t cover acupuncture, which significantly reduces access.”
But the bottom line? “It’s important that family physicians become aware of which professionals provide high-quality acupuncture in their area to ensure patients receive the best care.”
He adds, “There is no known mechanism through which acupuncture could work. Nevertheless, thousands of tests have been conducted. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews of these tests are extremely inconsistent, with little agreement among them. Many analyses failed to find evidence that it is better than a placebo, while others found a significant difference. However, the positive results usually had very small effect sizes, suggesting that the results were not clinically significant and were likely statistical flukes.”
But nowhere in Fallacy Man’s diatribe does he say dangers exist for acupuncture. Just anecdotal references that may not have acupuncture at fault at all. No deaths from acupuncture, the supporters cry out!
So my conclusion is this: If the chronic pain keeps you from enjoying or concentrating or resenting the life you have, give acupuncture a try, or exhausting your chronic pain options as you cross acupuncture off your list as a failed experiment.
Stroke Has a permanent cure.
I saw the address of a doctor in one of the blogs recently.
I (52 age) had a severe stroke on 7th of April 2016. I was diagnosed with Lupus in January this year and was taking Steroids (prednisone) tablets along with other medicine. No history of BP or diabetes nor heart disease. Am a non smoker and drinks occasionally little for social meets. Before I was diagnosed with Lupus this year in January I was given numerous anti biotic by family physicians since they could not diagnose me. I had joint pain and acidity and cough. I never used to take any drugs since I was quite healthy. I Steroids caused the stroke I had, I was not prescribed any blood thinner nor aspirin then. They thought I was allergic to them. However I am not allergic to any drugs
On April 7th I was admitted due to stroke and underwent surgery on right side of the brain to stop bleeding and swelling. They retained my bone flap in freezer and on September 20th I had surgery to restore my bone flap which was very successful. I am now able to talk and eat without any help. my speech is quite clear , though not like before. I walks slowly with the help of cane. But cannot walk long. I cannot move my left leg and hand
But when I took Dr Ben Herbal medication, for one month,I was completely cured, now I can move all part of my body.speak clearly and walk freely.
contact him on [email protected]