Medical Spa content: Acupuncture

medical SpaAcupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick". In Standard Mandarin refers to acupuncture together with moxibustion.

According to Traditional Chinese Medical Theory, acupuncture points are situated on meridians along which qi, the vital energy, flows. There is no known anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Modern acupuncture texts present them as ideas that are useful in clinical practice. According to the NIH consensus statement on acupuncture, these traditional Chinese medical concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture. "Acupuncture originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)".

Because acupuncture has been the subject of active scientific research only since the beginning of late 20th century, its effects are not well-understood by Western medicine, and its application remains controversial among Western medical researchers and clinicians. A 2007 review led by Professor of Complementary Medicine Edzard Ernst finds that the "emerging clinical evidence seems to imply that acupuncture is effective for some, but not all conditions.

"The WHO, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Medical Association (AMA) and various government reports have studied and commented on the efficacy of acupuncture. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners using sterile needles, and that further research is appropriate.

Indications according to acupuncturists in the West
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004) states: "In the United States, acupuncture has its greatest success and acceptance in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain." They say that acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for the conditions in the list below, noting: "Most of these indications are supported by textbooks or at least 1 journal article. However, definitive conclusions based on research findings are rare because the state of acupuncture research is poor but improving."

• Abdominal distention/flatulence
  Acute and chronic pain control
  Allergic sinusitis
  Anesthesia for high-risk patients or patients with previous adverse responses to anesthetics
  Anorexia
  Anxiety, fright, panic
  Arthritis/arthrosis
  Atypical chest pain (negative workup)
  Bursitis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome
  Certain functional gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, esophageal spasm, hyperacidity, irritable bowel)
  Cervical and lumbar spine syndromes
  Constipation, diarrhea
  Cough with contraindications for narcotics
  Drug detoxification
  Dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain
  Frozen shoulder
  Headache (migraine and tension-type), vertigo (Meniere disease), tinnitus
  Idiopathic palpitations, sinus tachycardia
  In fractures, assisting in pain control, edema, and enhancing healing process
  Muscle spasms, tremors, tics, contractures
  Neuralgias (trigeminal, herpes zoster, postherpetic pain, other)
  Paresthesias
  Persistent hiccups
  Phantom pain
  Plantar fasciitis
  Post-traumatic and post-operative ileus
  Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
  Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia)
  Seventh nerve palsy
  Severe hyperthermia
  Sprains and contusions
  Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism
  Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect)
  Weight Loss