Acupuncture, an effective traditional treatment.

Scientists are studying the mechanisms and efficacy of acupuncture. Researchers using the protocols of evidence-based medicine have found good evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating nausea and chronic low back pain[3][4], and moderate evidence for neck pain and headache. 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 also studied and commented on the efficacy of acupuncture. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners, and that further research is warranted. Though occasionally charged as pseudoscience, Dr. William F. Williams, author of Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, notes that acupuncture --"once rejected as 'oriental fakery' -- is now (if grudgingly) recognized as engaged in something quite real."

Traditional Chinese medicine's acupuncture theory, although based on empirical observation, predates use of the modern scientific method, and has received various criticisms based on modern scientific thinking. There is no generally-accepted anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Acupuncturists tend to perceive TCM concepts in functional rather than structural terms, i.e. as being useful in guiding evaluation and care of patients. As the NIH consensus statement noted: "Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points", the definition and characterization of these points remains controversial. Even more elusive is the basis of some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation of Qi, the meridian system, and the five phases theory, which 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." Finally, neuroimaging research suggests that specific acupuncture points have distinct effects on cerebral activity in specific areas that are not otherwise predictable anatomically.

Indications according to acupuncturists in the West


According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004), acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for the conditions in the list below. The conditions labeled with * are also included in the World Health Organization list of acupuncture indications. These cases, however, are based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research: furthermore, the inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture's efficacy in treating them.

* 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 *
* Premenstrual syndrome [24]
* Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
* Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia) *
* Seventh nerve palsy
* Severe hyperthermia
* Sleep Disorders PubMed:
* Sprains and contusions
* Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism *
* Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect) *

Additionally, other sources advocate the use of acupuncture for the following conditions:

* Infertility, regarding in vitro fertilization, see Expansions of in vitro fertilization - acupuncture

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