Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine. Its underlying philosophy is that health is a state of harmony, or balance, of the opposing forces of nature. Disease represents an imbalance of these forces that leads to excesses or deficiencies of life energy in various organs, resulting in illness if not corrected. The life energy, called qi, is believed to flow through the body in pathways called meridians which connect its surface with the internal organs. Treatment consists of redirecting and balancing energy flow.

Acupuncture has been used in China for more than 2,000 years. Although it has been applied in some Western countries since the late nineteenth century, it became popular in the United States only in 1971, when a New York Times columnist, James Reston, received acupuncture after surgery and wrote about the experience.

Acupuncture practitioners usually insert fine needles through the skin at points along the meridians. Some practitioners may use pressure (acupressure, also called shiatsu), heat, friction, suction, or electromagnetic energy to stimulate these points. Although in China acupuncture is used to treat many conditions, in the United States, it is applied most often to relieve pain.

There are more than 40 schools and colleges of acupuncture in the United States, 20 of which have either been approved, or are currently being reviewed for approval, by the National Accreditation Commission for Schools and Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. An estimated 6,500 acupuncturists practice in the United States; of these, about 3,300 have taken the examination administered by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. Thirty-two states regulate the practice of acupuncture, according to The Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States.

Acupuncture may also be performed by naturopathic doctors or chiropractors "in at least 12 states," according to the Traditional Acupuncture Institute. An estimated 3,000 physicians have taken short courses in acupuncture and may use it in their practices. Several studies find that acupuncture is helpful in treating chronic low back pain, neck pain, arthritic pain of the knee, post-surgical pain, kidney-stone pain, menstrual cramps, and chronic angina. Other studies offer evidence that acupuncture can reduce the nausea and vomiting that accompany pregnancy, sea sickness, chemotherapy, or surgery. Acupuncture has also been documented as helpful to people who are withdrawing from substances they abuse. Studies have reported that acupuncture helps stroke patients, improves exercise performance in young men, and increases uterine contractions in pregnant women who are past their delivery dates. Some experts make a claim for the value of acupuncture in treating bladder instability, sinus problems, and migraine headaches.

A conference convened by the National Institutes of Health in November 1997 reviewed the scientific and medical data on the use, risks, and benefits of acupuncture and issued a Consensus Development Statement. A panel of experts concluded that "there is sufficient evidence of acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value." Moreover, the panel found that in many cases, the "data supporting acupuncture are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies."