health

Acupuncture

Generality

Acupuncture is a therapeutic practice of alternative medicine, which involves the insertion of small needles on the surface of the human body, in order to promote the health of the individual subjected to the treatment.

Acupuncture is based on the idea that in the human body there is a network of channels - called meridians - through which flows a fundamental energy for life, called "vital force" or Qi (pronounced "chee").

The patency of the meridians guarantees the correct flow of the vital force and the well-being of the human body; on the contrary, an obstruction of the meridians alters the flow of Qi and can induce the appearance of problems, such as chronic pain, back pain, migraine etc.

According to those who practice acupuncture, the stimulation of certain areas of the human body, by inserting specific needles, would re-establish the flow of Qi, where it is not optimal.

Currently, the practice of acupuncture lacks any scientific foundation.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a therapeutic practice of alternative medicine, which involves the insertion of small needles on specific areas of the human body, with the final intention of promoting the health and well-being of the individual undergoing treatment.

In other words, acupuncture consists of inserting special needles on the surface of the body in order to benefit the latter.

HOW IS CALLING WHO PRACTICES THE ACUPUNTURE?

The therapist who practices acupuncture is called acupuncturist .

WHO CAN PRACTICE ACUPUNTURE IN ITALY?

In Italy, only medical graduates and veterinary graduates can practice acupuncture.

According to Italian law, anyone who practices acupuncture without the aforementioned requirements commits a criminal offense (NB: the law in question dates back to 1982).

ACUPUNCTURE IN EUROPE AND IN THE WORLD

Acupuncture is a popular practice in important countries like the United States, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Italy.

According to some statistical surveys, at present it is the most widespread alternative medicine technique in Europe.

AWARDS

Acupuncture has received recognition and approval not only from the health services of the various nations of the world (eg: the United Kingdom National Health Service or the United States National Institutes of Health ), but also from the WHO, or the World Health Organization.

HISTORY

Acupuncture comes from the so-called traditional Chinese medicine .

According to some historical studies, the first forms of acupuncture date back to 100 BC.

From China, acupuncture first spread to the geographical areas where Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam now reside. Then, around the sixteenth century, he also arrived in Europe: to describe its existence were some Portuguese missionaries, who had traveled extensively in the Far East.

In the following centuries, acupuncture was the subject of numerous debates, between those who considered it a useless practice and those who instead promoted its therapeutic powers.

Turning to more modern times, three important dates are reported regarding the history of acupuncture: 1939, 1972 and 2010.

1939 is the year in which a French diplomat by the name of George SouliƩ de Morant published a personal translation of the terms used in Chinese texts, which spoke of acupuncture. It is thanks to the works of Morant that we owe the terms " meridian ", " life force " etc., very much in vogue among those who practice modern acupuncture.

1972 represents the year in which, in the United States (precisely in the State of Washington DC), the first legal center for the practice of acupuncture was established.

Finally, 2010 is the year in which UNESCO declared acupuncture a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

operation

Those who practice acupuncture believe that, in the human body, there is a system of channels - called meridians - through which flows a fundamental energy for life. This energy is called " life force " or Qi (pronounced " chee ").

The presence of a pain in a specific part of the body or a particular disorder are then brought back to an underlying obstruction of specific meridians, which prevents the normal flow of the vital force.

In other words, certain problems that human beings can develop derive from an alteration of the flow of Qi along the meridian network.

The practice of acupuncture is proposed as a method able to free the obstructed meridians, thus re-establishing the normal flow of Qi within the human body.

HOW TO RELEASE MERIDIANS: ACUPUNCTURE POINTS

In the theories of those who practice acupuncture, the meridians are in very precise positions of the human body. In order to free them - say the acupuncturists - the precise anatomical zone in which they reside must be stimulated. The stimulation and release tools are the small needles mentioned above.

The various anatomical zones that allow the release of the meridians, once stimulated with the needles, are called acupuncture points (or acupuncture channels ).

Indications

According to its promoters, acupuncture would be beneficial in the event of:

  • Chronic pain;
  • Back pain, especially low back pain;
  • Muscle-tension headache;
  • Migraine;
  • Joint pain, resulting from diseases such as arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis;
  • Toothache;
  • Nausea and vomit;
  • Sleep disorders (eg, insomnia);
  • Post-operative pain.

Curiosity

In antiquity, acupuncture was only indicated for pain.

Those who practiced it at that time inserted the needles into the anatomical areas where the patient complained of the painful sensation.

How to do it

In general, the practice of acupuncture involves a cycle of at least 10 sessions .

The first session is different from all the others, because it foresees a preliminary phase in which the acupuncturist investigates the patient's state of health and carries out a sort of medical history .

This preliminary phase is of fundamental importance, as it provides the therapist with the information necessary to establish the acupuncture points, on which to act through the needles.

ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLES

A few centimeters long, acupuncture needles are pre-sterilized and disposable metal objects (so they are thrown immediately after use).

INSERTION OF NEEDLES

Before the insertion of the needles begins, the acupuncturist invites the patient to undress (if clearly the treatment of areas generally covered by clothing is provided) and to sit on a chair or on a bed.

Only once the patient proves to be at ease, can the insertion phase of the needles begin: the therapist proceeds to gently insert them just under the skin and leave them in place as it deems appropriate.

The number of needles used depends on the extent of the symptoms complained by the patient.

HOW MUCH CAN A SEAT LAST?

An acupuncture session can last from 20 to 40 minutes .

In general, longer sessions are the first of each cycle, as they include medical history and the patient's health status.

However, it should be pointed out that the duration also depends on the extent and number of problems reported by the patient.

Related practices

There are various practices closely related to acupuncture. These practices include: acupressure, auriculotherapy, electroacupuncture, cupping, tuina, moxibustion and apipuncture.

ACUPRESSURE

Acupressure is a therapeutic practice of alternative medicine, based on the same principles as acupuncture. Therefore, he believes in the existence of the meridians, the vital force (or Qi ) and in the stimulation of certain critical areas of the body, in order to restore the flow of Qi where it is altered.

To restore the normal flow of Qi at the level of the obstructed meridians, those who practice acupressure resort to pressure from the critical areas of the body, using the fingers of the hand ( acupressure ), the elbows or a specific instrumentation (eg: wooden sticks or particular metal wheels).

electroacupuncture

Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture that involves the electrical stimulation of the needles after they are placed on the surface of the body.

Cupping

Cupping is a therapeutic practice of alternative medicine, which involves the application of particular jars on the surface of the human body, in order to bring benefits to the person subjected to the treatment in question.

According to its promoters and those who practice it, cupping would be indicated in case of chronic pain, deep lesions of muscle or connective tissue and swelling.

Risks and complications

If practiced by a qualified therapist, acupuncture is a substantially safe and low-risk practice . In fact, only in rare circumstances, it gives rise to side effects.

The possible side effects of acupuncture include:

  • Pain when inserting needles, by the acupuncturist;
  • Blood leakage ( hemorrhage ) from the insertion areas of the needles;
  • Emergence of hematomas at the points where the acupuncturist inserted the needles;
  • Abnormal sleepiness;
  • Malaise;
  • Sense of fainting or vertigo;
  • Worsening of pre-existing symptoms (ie the picture of symptoms, for which the patient has recourse to acupuncture).

The way acupuncturists use needles include acupuncture among the minimally invasive alternative medicine practices.

Contraindications

The practice of acupuncture is contraindicated to:

  • People with a bleeding defect, such as haemophilia, and individuals on anticoagulant therapy . This contraindication is explained by the fact that the aforementioned conditions increase the risk of blood loss, from the insertion zones of the needles.
  • People with a metal allergy . Acupuncture needles are metallic objects, therefore in subjects with a metal allergy they could evoke a series of very annoying adverse effects.

PREGNANCY AND ACUPUNCTURE

Practicing acupuncture on a pregnant woman is safe, as long as the acupuncturist does not insert needles into some anatomical areas considered to be potentially dangerous for the survival and normal development of the fetus.

All this explains why acupuncturists, when they are dealing with women of childbearing age, ask the latter if they are pregnant or not.

ACUPUNCTURE ON CHILDREN

If performed by qualified personnel, the practice of acupuncture on children is as safe as practicing on adults.

Criticisms

Currently, no scientific and clinical study has demonstrated the effective therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture. This explains why many doctors advise against this practice, in the presence of health problems for which there are valid treatments of traditional medicine.

WHAT DO EXPERTS DECLARE?

In 1990, a major US non-profit medical organization, which deals with health fraud and is known by the acronym NCAHF ( National Council Against Health Fraud ), said:

"Research over the past twenty years has failed to show that acupuncture is effective against any disease ... the effects perceived with acupuncture are probably caused by a combination of expectations, suggestion, revulsion, conditioning and other psychological mechanisms"

From these words, the position of the NCAHF is quite clear: the well-being that acupuncture produces is not real, but is due to the so - called placebo effect .

Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture, the debate on the validity of the latter continues.