What is acupuncture? How does it work?

Acupuncture derives from the Latin word "acus" for "needle" and "pungere" for "puncture". It is an ancient system of healing developed over thousands of years in China and the Far East. Acupuncture is simply the use of needles to stimulate specially designated points on the body. Chinese Medicine is holistic: it treats the whole person rather than symptoms in isolation. Traditional acupuncture involves a complex system of examination, diagnosis and treatment. It seeks to alleviate symptoms and pain by assisting individuals to find balance in their lives. Preventive maintenance is central to the philosophy of Chinese Medicine and this extends to what we generally consider our mental health.

In acupuncture, illness is due to an energy imbalance. By balancing the energy people feel better in themselves, so they often come just for preventive treatment (i.e. topping up or balancing of energy). Chinese medical theory holds that vital life energy circulates through the human body through channels called meridians. Good health results when this flow of energy is smooth and unobstructed. However, if for any reason this flow is blocked, ailments and disease occur. The function of acupuncture is to restore balance in the body so that vital life energy can flow.

Acupuncture is perhaps best known for its efficiency in relieving pain. Modem medical research attributes this in part to acupuncture's power to increase the body's level of endorphin in the bloodstream. Acupuncture stimulates the body to produce its own morphine like substance to alleviate pain. Nerve impulses are normalised and balanced because of the interconnection of the acupuncture points and the central nervous systems, thus suppressing pain. To think of acupuncture only in terms of relieving pain is to take too narrow a view of its potential uses, and to overlook its successes in the treatment of organic and stress related disorders. Acupuncture has been publicised in the West as being suitable only for specific conditions like pain relief but this is misleading since it can affect any disease or disorder as long as the body is functioning and no organ has been destroyed. Obviously it cannot heal a broken bone. Modem surgery is indeed a miracle, offering us skin grafts, plastic joints, and artificial valves and limbs when the originals have been irreparably damaged. However, it is difficult for human beings to find spare parts and even when they are available, the body often rejects them. Acupuncture, on the other hand, works to improve the quality and function of the organs we still have. Experiential evidence points to acupuncture's ability to alleviate the symptoms common to organic disorders by strengthening the body's natural resistance and its immune systems. After acupuncture treatment, there is an increase in the levels of white blood cells and increase in the levels of alpha and beta globulins help white blood cells to fight infection. Gamma globulins are associated with the production of immune antibodies.

What type of needles do you use?

I use only the disposable needles since the establishment of my Acupuncture Clinic in 1992. Each patient receives his/her own disposable needles and at the end of the treatment, these needles discarded into a medical hazard container after a single use.

What can I expect during a Consultation?

During consultation, the practitioner aims to determine the nature of the disharmony in the patient by careful history taking and observation. A detailed understanding is required of the patient's symptoms, medical and family history and behaviour of all the body systems (for example: digestion, circulation, life style, sleep patterns and diet). Some times. diagnosis requires examining pulses on the wrists for its qualities (rhythm and strength). Pulse diagnosis is used to determine a person's energy levels in different body organs. Usually the Acupuncture Practitioner develops and design a treatment plan after consultation and diagnosis.

Treatment time should be used to sit quietly, relax and reflect, or meditate. Do not smoke or drink coffee in the half-hour before and after treatment. Let the acupuncturist know if you have any (new?) health problems. Your initial visit will last for up to 45 minutes and subsequent visits for 15-30 minutes. The treatment triggers the release of natural body chemicals, including endorphin (en dor fin), which help reduce symptoms and increase relaxation. Generally, you will visit weekly to begin with and, as you improve, this will become less frequent.

During treatment, needles are inserted for a second or two, or left in place for between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the nature of illness and the course of treatment. A fresh set of pre sterilised needles is used for each patient so that treatment is completely hygienic. Usually patients feel at peace and relaxed during and after treatment.

Acupuncture treatment may produce rapid results but, often, may take longer, depending on whether the condition is chronic or acute. Usually, two sessions of acupuncture treatments per week for 3 to up to maximum 10 weeks are recommended. In case of relapse or the occurrence of stress in your life, additional treatments may be required. In some cases, stimulation may be electrical through the needles (electro-acupuncture) or by using a laser alone.

Where do you put the needles?

The needles inserted in certain acupuncture points on the skin. The location of the needles depends on anatomical surface of the human body as well as the pattern of symptoms in various diseases.

What are the reactions to acupuncture treatment?

The main reactions to acupuncture treatment are:

1. Needling reactions - The needle sensations felt are described as: numbness, heaviness, tingling and/or distension. Radiation of one or more of these sensations, usually along the channel, may also be felt. This characteristic is referred to by modem acupuncturists as the P.S.C. phenomenon (Propagated Sensation along the Channel). P.S.C. can occur even in the missing part of a limb (Phantom limb), thus the radiation is probably a central neurological event.
2. Post needling reaction - A few patients feel worse before they become better. This is more likely to happen after the first treatment than subsequent ones. The reaction may be an aggravation of the patient's usual symptoms or, sometimes, merely fatigue. This is temporary, and passes off in a few hours or days.
   
   

Does Acupuncture hurt?

Some fear acupuncture, thinking it will hurt. But the needles are so fine that their insertion is often not even felt. However, some people have more skin sensitivity than others and some points are more sensitive to treat than others.

Most people, however, say the treatments are not at all painful. Once the needles are in place, the patient can expect to feel a dull sensation, a sense of warmth, or sometimes even a slight flow of energy up and down from the point. Deep relaxation during treatment is the most common report of patients.

Do I need to believe in acupuncture in order to be effective?

Significant scientific research indicated when acupuncture is used for young children and animals (backache in racing horses and arthritis in dogs and cats), both groups being less likely to be affected by the degree of their beliefs. These studies suggested that acupuncture produces a significant physiological response regardless auto-suggestion in acupuncture benefits. However, acupuncture can be effective if the patient is maintaining a positive attitude with a firm belief in the treatment. Even the western medicine practices is recognising the importance of the patient's attitude towards treatment.

What are the medical conditions that could be treated with acupuncture?

Below is a list of some of the more common conditions which can be treated:

• Head & Neck - Neuralgia, headaches, migraine, fainting, facial pain, ties (?), spasms, cervical spondylosis, neck pain.
• Limbs and Muscular System - Fibrositis, muscular rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago, swelling, discoloration, cramps, cold hands and feet, weakness, some types of trembling, neuralgia of shoulders and arms, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, osteoarthritis (shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and other joints), weakness or feeling of excessive heaviness of limbs, frozen shoulder.
• Digestive System - Duodenal and stomach ulcer, hyperacidity, gastritis, dyspepsia, inability to eat ordinary food, non digestion of food, no appetite, undigested stools, pale stools, belching, wind, abdominal distension, bad breath, dry mouth, bad taste in mouth, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, various types of colic, atony (?), under function of liver, tender liver, hepatitis, chronic cholecystitis, colitis, pancreatitis, nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (morning sickness), abdomen feels cold, spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome.
• Respiratory System - Asthma, bronchitis, tracheitis, shortness of breath, pulmonary congestion, recurrent colds, coughs and mild chronic pulmonary infections.
• Cardio Vascular System - Angina pectoris, pseudo angina pectoris, pain or heaviness over cardiac area, fainting, palpitations, tachycardia, certain valvular defects, arrhythmias, arterial spasm, phlebitis, haemorrhoids, lymphangeitis, adenitis, pallor, pins and needles, poor circulation, fainting, feels cold easily.
• Genito Urinary System - Kidney inflammation, cystitis, some types of kidney pain, lumbago, bladder irritation and spasm, bed wetting, lack of bladder control. Pelvic pain, painful periods, irregular periods, flooding, menopausal trouble, hot flushes, ovarian pain, mastitis, menopausal loss of hair (sometimes), tender breasts, prostate inflammation.
• Eyes - Weak eyesight, tired after reading a book for a short time, non optical defects, black spots and zigzags in front of eyes, pain behind or around eye, conjunctivitis, inflamed eyelids. 
• Ear, Nose and Throat - Hay fever, rhinitis, nose bleeding, sneezing, loss of smell (some types), sinusitis, catarrh, tonsillitis, laryngitis, loss of voice, pharyngitis.
• Skin - Acne, itching, eczema, hives, abscesses, herpes, neurodermatitis, psoriasis.
• Nervous System and Psychiatric Factor - Nervousness, depression, anxiety, fears, obsessions, timidity, stage fright, neurasthenia, wish to die, agitation, outbursts of temper, yawning, excessively talkative, sleeplessness, nocturnal terror, many neuralgias, neuralgia after shingles, trembling, repetitive strain injury (RSI).
• General State - General fatigue, lassitude, excessive sleep, excessive yawning, sensitive to change in temperature, travel sickness, post operative weakness, weakness after severe disease, chronic fatigue syndrome (ME).
• Children - Most of the more common disease of children, excepting the infectious diseases. Children respond quickly. An important aim of acupuncture is to achieve and maintain healthy childhood, since much ill health in later years can be avoided. Bed¬wetting, fear of the dark, bad temper or fright, inability to learn properly at school, under development, stunted growth (sometimes).
• General Health - Many patients who have been treated by acupuncture notice an improvement in their general health. This is because acupuncture can correct those minor disturbances in health which may be undetected by other methods of diagnosis and which if untreated could in later years easily become a serious overt and easily recognised disease. The sensitivity of Chinese pulse diagnosis, makes it possible to detect minor disturbances, enabling treatment to be given at an early stage.
• Laser Acupuncture - Laser Acupuncture (without needles) is now available in this clinic for patients with needle phobia and for children.

Acupuncture is a successful treatment for stopping smoking, drugs and alcohol addiction and obesity.

How long does a session of acupuncture treatment last?

The consultation is lasting for up to 45 minutes which includes history taking and examination within the context of Chinese medicine and also acupuncture treatment session. The subsequent acupuncture session is for 15 - 30 minutes which consists of acupuncture treatment. (Manual and/or electrical acupuncture or sometime laser acupuncture).

How long have you been Practicing Acupuncture?

I Established my Acupuncture Clinic at Nuffield Hospital since 1992. I have now  run 3 Acupuncture Clinics at Nuffield Hospitals: North Staffordshire Nufflield , Wolverhampton Nuffield and Derby Nuffield Hospitals.

Do you accept insurance?

I do accept some forms of insurance such as WPA, Standard life and others. Please contact your provider to see if acupuncture treatments are covered .

Do I need a referral from my GP?

You do not need a referral from your GP and you can be a self-referral patient. After the completion of your acupuncture treatment course and if you have been referred by your GP, the we will send a patient report to your GP so that he or she can keep a record about your progress. I believe in the importance of communication between western medicine and complementary medicine and together can be of better benefit to you.

Is it good for weight loss, sugar cravings, or smoking cessation?

My Acupuncture Clinics have successful records in weight loss or to conquer sugar and/or nicotine cravings. I treated many cases for weight loss and stop smoking in which cases the acupuncture works by releasing the body natural good hormone (endorphin) to clear all withdrawal symptoms such as craving, anxiety and nervousness (sometime nervous breakdown).