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April 2008:
Beyond Convention: Acupuncture Being More Widely Used by Physicians, Dentists,
Others for Pain Relief, More |
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| A 2002 study revealed about 8.2 million U.S.
adults had used acupuncture the previous year. |
Decisions about your health are important -
including decisions about whether or not to
use CAM (complementary and alternative
medicine). These significant points are
important:
- Take charge of your health by being
an informed consumer. Find out what
scientific studies have been done on
the safety and effectiveness of the CAM
treatment in which you are interested.
- Decisions about medical care and
treatment should be made in consultation
with a health care provider and based on
the condition and needs of each person.
Discuss information on CAM with your
health care provider before making any
decisions about treatment or care.
- Tell your health care providers about any
complementary and alternative practices
you use. Give them a full picture of what
you do to manage your health. This will
help ensure coordinated and safe care.
- If you use a CAM therapy provided by a
practitioner, choose the practitioner with
care. In many cases, insurance does not
cover the cost of CAM services, so you
may want to check with your insurer to
see if the services will be covered.
Last month's edition of Steps to Good
Health gave an overview
of CAM. This issue
looks at one of the most
prevalent forms of CAM
therapy: acupuncture.
The following information
comes from the National
Center for Complementary
and Alternative (NCCA)
Medicine of the National
Institutes of Health.
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Some people feel energized by
acupuncture treatment, while others feel
relaxed.
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NCCAM Clearinghouse
The NCCAM Clearinghouse provides information on
CAM and NCCAM, including publications and searches
of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature.
The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice,
treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226
TTY (for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers):
1-866-464-3615
Website: nccam.nih.gov
E-mail: info@nccam.nih.gov
PubMed
A service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM),
PubMed contains publication information and (in most
cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and
medical journals.
CAM on PubMed, developed jointly by NCCAM and NLM,
is a subset of the PubMed system and focuses on the
topic of CAM.
Website: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
CAM on PubMed: nccam.nih.gov/
camonpubmed/
ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of information on federally
and privately supported clinical trials (research studies
in people) for a wide range of diseases and conditions. It
is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Website: www.clinicaltrials.gov
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The term "acupuncture" describes a family
of procedures involving the stimulation
of anatomical points on the body using a
variety of techniques. The acupuncture
technique that has been most often
studied involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are
stimulated by electrical stimulation.
Practiced in China and other Asian
countries for thousands of years,
acupuncture is one of the key
components of traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM).
In TCM, the body is seen as a
delicate balance of two opposing and
inseparable forces: yin and yang.
Yin represents cold, slow, or passive
aspects of the person, while yang
represents hot, excited or active
aspects.
A major theory is that health is
achieved through balancing yin and
yang, and that disease is caused by
an imbalance - leading to a blockage
in the flow of qi, which is vital energy
along pathways known as meridians.
Qi can be unblocked, according to
TCM, by using acupuncture at certain
points on the body that connect with
these meridians.
Acupuncture became better known
in the United States in 1971, when
New York Times reporter James
Reston wrote about how doctors in
China used needles to ease his pain
after surgery. American practices
of acupuncture incorporate medical
traditions from China, Japan, Korea,
and other countries.
A report from a Consensus
Development Conference of
Acupuncture held at the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997
stated that acupuncture is being
"widely" practiced - by thousands of
physicians, dentists, acupuncturists,
and other practitioners - for relief or
prevention of pain and for various
other health conditions.
According to the 2002 National
Health Interview Survey - the largest
and most comprehensive survey of
use by American adults to date - an
estimated 8.2 million U.S. adults had
used acupuncture in the previous
year.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) regulates
acupuncture needles for use by
licensed practitioners, requiring
that needles be manufactured
and labeled according to certain
standards.
For example, the FDA requires that
needles be sterile, nontoxic, and
labeled for single use by qualified
practitioners only.
Relatively few complications from
the use of acupuncture have been
reported to the FDA, in light of the
millions of people treated each year
and the number of acupuncture
needles used.
Still, complications have resulted
from inadequate sterilization of
needles and from improper delivery
of treatments. Practitioners should
use a new set of disposable needles
taken from a sealed package for
each patient and should swab
treatment sites with alcohol or
another disinfectant before inserting
needles.
When not delivered properly,
acupuncture can cause serious
adverse effects, including infections
and punctured organs.
There have been many studies
on acupuncture's potential health
benefits for a wide range of
conditions. Summarizing earlier
research, the 1997 NIH Consensus
Statement on Acupuncture found
that, overall, results were hard to
interpret because of problems with
the size and design of the studies.
In the years since the Consensus
Statement was issued, the National
Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
has funded extensive research to
advance scientific understanding of
acupuncture. Some recent NCCAM supported
studies have looked at:
- Whether acupuncture works for
specific health conditions such as
chronic low-back pain, headache,
and osteoarthritis of the knee
- How acupuncture might work, such
as what happens in the brain during
acupuncture treatment
- Ways to better identify and
understand the potential
neurological properties of meridians
and acupuncture points
- Methods and instruments
for improving the quality of
acupuncture research.
Health care providers can be a resource for referral
to acupuncturists, and some conventional medical
practitioners - including physicians and dentists -
practice acupuncture. In addition, national acupuncture
organizations (which can be found through libraries
or Web search engines) may provide referrals to
acupuncturists.
- Check a practitioner's credentials. Although most
states require a license to practice acupuncture,
education and training standards and requirements
for obtaining a license to practice vary from state
to state. Although a license does not ensure quality
of care, it does indicate that the practitioner meets
certain standards regarding the knowledge and use of
acupuncture.
- Do not rely on a diagnosis of disease by an
acupuncture practitioner who does not have
substantial conventional medical training. If you
have received a diagnosis from a doctor, you may wish
to ask your doctor whether acupuncture might help.
During your first office visit, the practitioner may ask
you at length about your health condition, lifestyle, and
behavior. The practitioner will want to obtain a complete
picture of your treatment needs and behaviors that may
contribute to your condition. Inform the acupuncturist
about all treatments or medications you are taking and all
medical conditions you have.
Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid and hair-thin.
People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel
no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some
people feel energized by treatment, while others feel
relaxed.
Improper needle placement, movement of the patient,
or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain
during treatment. This is why it is important to seek
treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner.
Treatment may take place over a period of several weeks
or more.
Ask the practitioner about the estimated number of
treatments needed and how much each treatment will
cost. Some insurance companies may cover the costs of
acupuncture, while others may not.
It is important to check with your insurer before you start
treatment to see whether acupuncture is covered for your
condition and, if so, to what extent. |
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