What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a powerful form of healing and part of a system of healthcare practices used through out Asia for thousands of years. The earliest records date back to over 4,700 years written on tortoise shell. The dialog between the Yellow Emperor and his physician are chronicled in the "Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine" also known as "Huang Di Nei Jing"(403- 221B.C.)
Acupuncture is based on energetic laws and the Taoist principle theory of Yin and Yang, which represents dynamic balance of opposing and interrelated forces. Within those forces is the movement of energy or life force called "Qi" (chee). Qi is what flows between energy and matter, it is both energy and matter. It is invisible like the air, and powerful as wind, yet you can breath it and feel it surround you and course through your body.
Yin and Yang represent the cycle of life, day and night, the changing seasons and the body’s internal rhythms.
How does Acupuncture work?
Acupuncture uses the application of needles to stimulate various points on meridians on the body that facilitate the movement of Qi. Qi moves throughout the body, meridians are channels where the Qi can be accessed. Stimulating these points help bring the body back into balance (the Yin and Yang within the body).
Illness is a reflection of Yin and Yang being out of balance, or out of right relationship with each other. When the body is in balance or can bring Yin and Yang in right relationship, health and healing occur. The Western understanding of this would be homeostasis.
"Tòng Zé Bù Tōng, Tōng Zé Bǔ Tòng"
痛 則不通通 則不 痛
("Pain therefore no flow, flow therefore no pain.")
Acupuncture works on strengthening the body’s own natural healing abilities, it increases circulation and stimulates the immune system to facilitate healing.
What can be treated with Acupuncture?
Pain
Headaches and migraines
Facial pain(TMJ)
Tooth pain
Neck pain
Upper back pain
Low back pain
Shoulder pain
Lower extremity
Repetitive Strain Injury
(tennis elbow, carpal tunnel)
Osteoarthritis |
Gynecological
Amenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea
Infertility
Post partum
Irregular Menses |
Respiratory System
Allergies
Sinusitis
Rhinitis
Asthma
Bronchitis
Common Cold |
Miscellaneous
Anxiety/Stress
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue
General Well being
Weight loss
Insomnia
Hight/Low blood pressure
Post stroke
Substance abuse
Cessation of smoking
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Sciatica/Piriformis syndrome
Urinary dysfunction
Hemorrhoids
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Gastro-intestinal Disorders
Constipation
Diarrhea
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Reflux Esophagitis (nervous stomach) |
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Who can perform Acupuncture?
In NYS, only a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) can administer acupuncture. The educational requirements are a minimum of 3,000 plus hours of training in an accredited 3 year Masters level acupuncture program. After passing the National Board Certification Exam, a license can be obtained.
Medical doctors and Dentists who have undergone an accredited certificate program of 300 hours may also perform acupuncture.
Education requirements and standards vary from state to state. It is important to ask the practitioner what kind of training they have undergone to help you decide on the practitioner you will use.
For more information about educational standards see Links .
Is Acupuncture covered by Insurance?
Check with your insurance carrier if they will reimburse for acupuncture. Insurance carriers may place restrictions on who you chose to be your practitioner and on the amount they will reimburse you for. For information about insurance companies that cover acupuncture visit :Insurance Companies in New York
If you have a Medical Savings Plan you can put pre-tax dollars aside to pay for service that you insurance will not cover. Visit : Medical Savings Plans , Medical Savings Accounts or Health Savings Account. For information about deducting medical expenses from your taxes Medical Expenses
What about Western Medicine?
Western medicine has become more interested in Acupuncture and other Eastern medical treatments, especially where Western medicine is less effective.
Most Western medical doctors have little experience or knowledge about Acupuncture or Chinese medicine and its efficacy.
They probably have noticed the impact and success of acupuncture used in pain management, post chemo therapy, drug addiction and AIDS. Many hospitals are starting to incorporate acupuncture into some of their treatment programms.
We respect Western medicine and will work with western medical practitioners to offer our patients a broader perspective of treatment possibilities and for making their own informed healthcare decisions.
Does Acupuncture work?
According to: NIH Conscensus Statement, November 1997
Conclusions
"... promising results have emerged, for example, showing the efficacy of acupuncture in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situaitons such as addiciton, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma, in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful."
What is the Place of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Various Conditions for Which Sufficient Data are Available, in Comparision or in Combination With Other Interventions?
"Assessing the usefulness of a medical intervention in practice differs from assessing formal efficacy. In conventional practice, clinicians make decisions based on the characteristics of the patient, clinical experience, potential for harm, and information from colleagues and the medical literature. In addition, when more than one treatment is possible, the clinician may make the choice of taking into account the patient's preferences. While it is offen thought that there is substantial research evidence to support conventional medical practices, this is frequently not the case. This does not mean that these treatments are ineffective. The data in support of acupuncture are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies."
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