What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a holistic medicine– it sees symptoms in relationship to the entire body, and not in isolation.

Therefore, to alleviate the symptom, we treat the entire body, rather than focus solely on the symptom.

The purpose behind all acupuncture therapy is the achievement of balance; specifically the balance of the flow of “Qi” in the body, loosely translated as the “life force.”

Symptoms are seen as an imbalance in this flow, and the correction of the imbalance is reflected in good health.

The Qi flows in meridians (pathways) throughout the body.

Each pathway runs on the skin surface and is accessible via acupuncture points, and also runs deeply into the body and connects to the internal organs. That’s how we affect the inside of the body, using only points on the surface of the skin. So essentially, the pathway brings the effects of the treatment at the superficial (skin level) of the body into the deeper level of the organs.

There are more than 361 acupuncture points (only about 10-15 are used per treatment) known to influence body function.

Over 2500 years old, this time-tested method of preventative care and addressing acute and chronic problems speaks for itself by alleviating conditions normally addressed by drugs or surgery in Western medicine.

Conditions Acupuncture Treats

  • Allergies
  • Asthma
  • Arthritis
  • Auto-immune Disorders
  • Back Pain
  • Breach Baby
  • Colitis
  • Depression & Anxiety
  • Digestive Disorders (IBS, etc.)
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Fertility
  • Frequent Colds and Flu
  • Headaches and Migraines
  • Heartburn and Nausea
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Infertility
  • Insomnia
  • Menstrual disorders (PMS, period pain; excessive, lack of, or irregular bleeding)
  • Menopause symptoms
  • Pain – acute or chronic
  • Pregnancy (morning sickness, etc.),
  • Repetitive Stress Injury/Carpal Tunnel
  • Sciatica
  • Skin Disorders
  • Stress Management
  • TMJ

Time Tested Evidence:

Acupuncture is a 2500 year old healing art that is empirically effective–meaning that time and again over hundreds of years and millions of patients, it has proven itself to be a method of healing that works.

  • Our current allopathic medical care system (only about 150 years old) requires that for any therapy to be accepted into mainstream use (and insured), it must be scientifically proven, meaning that in controlled laboratory studies, its effectiveness is shown to be significant and consistent. At long last, funding for these studies is now being directed toward acupuncture research.
  •  Once western medical institutions realized how many patients were using acupuncture, and how relatively inexpensive the therapy was compared to western treatments, many acupuncture studies began to be designed and were undertaken by patients just like you.
  • Government financed research on acupuncture dates from the 1970’s, about the time the treatment first started gaining popularity in the United States. Of the many different kinds of therapies, due to its long standing history, acupuncture was the first to be studied, and funds continue to be there to support the research.
  • For example in 2004, the federal agency that studies health care issues (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) was granted $117 million to continue its study of therapies such as acupuncture.
  • The practitioners of this ancient healing art already know what will be discovered: that acupuncture is the most cost-effective, least side-effect creating, powerful, effective and useful therapy for chronic ailments (see the list at right for more info), an area in which western medicine has no great answers, and usually suggests drugs or drastic measures such as surgery–with no certain outcome and often with dangerous side-effects.
  • While there is no substitute for western medicine in such acute care situations as: infection requiring antibiotics, broken limbs, heart attack, cuts requiring stitches, etc., acupuncture neatly fills the gap that is left by western medicine…those ailments that typically require medication to be managed: all types of pain, asthma, high blood pressure, heart burn, depression, anxiety, diabetes, fatigue, etc. It has also been shown to help with fertility (see our fertility specialists page).
  • But don’t just take our word for it! Over time, the studies will show the effectiveness of acupuncture for many conditions….it’s already been “proven” in the scientific studies that have been done to treat nausea following surgery and chemotherapy, and toothache. The integration of acupuncture into western medicine is inevitable!

What the Science Say:

Below are the results of just a few of the studies done to show the effectiveness of acupuncture:

  • A study published in Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy (Nov.-Dec. 2003) concluded that women with breach babies treated with acupuncture were far more likely (76.4%) to have the fetus move to the proper delivery position than those not given acupuncture.
  • A researcher at Duke University, Dr. Tong G. Gan concluded in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia (Sept. 2003) that acupuncture was far more effective for postoperative sickness and vomiting than Zofran, a widely used anti-nausea drug.
  • In an article published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine(March 2003), 50 patients with sciatica received acupuncture twice per week for 5 weeks. Only two patients out of 50 reported no improvement. 40% were completely cured and the remaining 56% had significant improvement.
  • In the Journal of Clinical Oncology (November 2003), a study reported that pain intensity levels of cancer-related pain decreased an average of 36% in those patients receiving ear acupuncture.
  • In the Winter 2004 issue of Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Neuroscience, a preliminary report stated that acupuncture promotes sleep in insomnia patients, noting that anxiety levels were lower and sleep efficiency and nighttime melatonin levels increased in 18 adult patients suffering from anxiety and insomnia.
  • Many more studies can be found on the internet by typing in any search engine “acupuncture research”

Body Work

Meet Our Bodyworkers

Bodywork is available in the Bodywork, Stress Management, Pain Management, Ditch the Diabetes and Cancer Support Care Plans.

What do we mean by bodywork? Bodywork is a term to describe multiple modalities that are used to help the body function better on the many levels (described under “Research”), re-establishing balance and promoting healing.

Bodywork is one great way to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Stress creates low level inflammation that breaks down the body’s ability to function well over time.

 

Research 

Studies in 2016 at the Touch Research Institute at the Miami School of Medicine have shown bodywork to regulate hormones, boost immunity, improve attentiveness and ease symptoms of depression by raising serotonin and dopamine levels. It also assists lymphatic movement and supports the cardiovascular system.

It also balances the body’s energy system, the major system that is also addressed through acupuncture.

Many of us would elect to have bodywork more often if it was affordable. We’ve endeavored to make that the case for you at CAMA!

Try one or try them all, individually or at a discount with one of our Care Plans.