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Acupuncture Relief

You might think you were in enough pain already without some stranger using you as a pin cushion. Still, it's been good enough for the Chinese for over 3000 years, so why not give acupuncture a try?

Acupuncture considers the whole body rather than concentrating solely on specific symptoms, as Western medicine tends to do. This holistic approach is all you'll needle.

Acupuncture originated in China and has been practised for more than 3000 years. Acupuncture points run along 'meridian' channels. Needles are inserted into specific designated points on the body relating to particular sites of pain suffered by the patient or client. Stimulation from the needle points redirects channels of energy beneath the skin to restore the body's energy levels (called qi or chi) and create 'harmony' in your normal bodily functions.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Don't worry about ending up looking like a hedgehog. The usual 'Western' approach is to insert a few fine needles (perhaps three or four) for around 20 minutes or so. With the Chinese approach needles may be left in for up to an hour. The practitioner may rotate the needles in the skin to re-stimulate the acupuncture point. Different acupuncturists use different techniques. They vary as to the sites of the body, lengths of time needles are left in and whether they attach small electric currents to the needles (electroacupuncture) or use heated herbs (moxa) to warm them. That's a lot of choice, but don't let that become a sticking point. Disposable needles are usually used, as they are reasonably cheap. Otherwise, the needles should be carefully sterilised, to avoid the spread of transmissible diseases like AIDS or hepatitis.

Acupressure is another approach. This entails the application of finger pressure to acupuncture sites. It's thought not to be as powerful as using needles, and the benefits may be more like those from deep massage. The acupressure is sometimes applied through fixing a plant seed on the skin, or using a pencil point or magnetic balls.

Did you know? Fewer side effects are associated with acupuncture than with prescribed painkillers.

WHO ARE THE ACUPUNCTURISTS?

Take care to choose an acupuncturist with the right qualifications, because training can vary from a two-day weekend course to many years of intensive study, and you don't want to get someone who sticks needles in people for a hobby. In the UK, members of the British Acupuncture Council have trained for at least 3 years, and will bear the letters MBAcC after their name. Ask the acupuncturist when you book your appointment how and where they trained. Some are doctors and therapists who have just learned to do acupuncture as a sideline, others are pure acupuncturists. Some have spent time in China, where acupuncture is a routine method of providing pain relief and treating many other conditions, learning and practising their techniques according to the Chinese culture.

SO HOW DOES IT WORK?

It's worthwhile going under the needle. There is plenty of research to show that acupuncture can lessen your back pain and help you to be more active if you suffer from chronic low back pain.

Energy flows round your body and keeps everything healthy. If you get anything wrong with you, then the energy flow is compromised and the blockage needs to be cleared. The lack of health might be a pain in your back or elsewhere, but it could also be inflammation, sickness or psychological problems. Acupuncture restores the situation to normal by getting energy to flow through the affected areas. Applying needles to the body creates small electrical currents and helps energy to flow along the meridian channels into which the acupuncture needles have been inserted.

EAR, EAR

Particular points on your body affect areas quite distant from them or stimulate parts of the brain to control pain. (This has been verified by research.) For example, the whole body is represented topographically on the ear. If an area of the body needs treatment, then the corresponding point on the ear will become sensitive. These points can be found by using an electrical point-finder or a blunt needle handle. Some acupuncturists then use these points on the ear to effect treatment.


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