Acupuncture is one of the essential elements in Chinese medicine. There are 14 major and numerous minor meridians, along which qi flows through. Each meridian passes through and is responsible for a specific internal organ. When qi flows freely within the body and yin and yang are in harmony, a person is healthy. When a person is sick or injured, there is an obstruction of qi along one or more meridians. By inserting needles at particular points on the meridians, acupuncture unblocks qi, therefore, balancing yin and yang in the body. To the practitioners, these meridians provide access to the internal organs. Some 500 specific points (called acupoints) are identified on major meridians of human body, where needles can be inserted.
According to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus panel of scientists, researchers, and practitioners who convened in November 1997, acupuncture is an effective treatment for a variety of symptoms and diseases such as nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer-related treatments and dental pain after surgery. The panel also found that acupuncture is useful by itself or combined with conventional therapies to treat addiction, headaches, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and asthma, and to assist in stroke rehabilitation as well.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes over 250 illness successfully treated by acupuncture and the number continues to grow. The followings are part of them:
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Conditions Appropriate for Acupuncture Therapy |
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| Digestive Abdominal pain Constipation Diarrhea Hyperacidity Indigestion |
Emotional Anxiety Depression Insomnia Nervousness Neurosis |
Eye-Ear-Nose-Throat Cataracts Gingivitis Poor vision Tinnitis Toothache |
Gynecological Infertility Menopausal symptoms Premenstrual syndrome |
| Miscellaneous Addiction control Athletic performance Blood pressure regulation Chronic fatigue Immune system support Stress reduction |
Musculoskeletal Arthritis Back pain Muscle cramping Muscle pain/weakness Neck pain Sciatica |
Neurological Headaches Migraines Neurogenic Bladder dysfunction Parkinson’s disease Postoperative pain Stroke |
Respiratory Asthma Bronchitis Common cold Sinusitis Smoking cessation Tonsilitis |
| Source: World Health Organization | |||