Does Acupuncture Really Work? Acupuncture Explained in a Way You Can Understand

Acupuncture sounds unbelievable. Stick a few teeny, tiny, needles in my body and all my suffering goes away. Well, in a nutshell, yes. There are complex theories that have survived thousands of years and had many adaptations through the millennia. Instead of trying to explain complex, long theory, instead I will break down in short sentences different ways acupuncture works both from a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective) and also the allopathic, western medical interpretation. This will be short, sweet little segments to get to the point, without having to memorize hundreds of acupuncture point locations, meridians traversing along anatomical landmarks on the body nor understanding the intricacies of how the internal organs relate to one another. For a more in depth understanding of how acupuncture and TCM herbal medicine works I would suggest the book by Dr. Ted Kaptchuck The Web That Has No Weaver.   

Acupuncture works by inserting hair-thin needles into specific points on the body for a therapeutic effect. There are hundreds of acupuncture points on the body and your licensed acupuncturist (Look for these credentials: DAcCHM or LAc) will choose a combination of points right for you, your condition and what you are experiencing at the moment. 

Here is one example of what acupuncture can do. This is a popular point called “Stomach 36” 

Actions:

Harmonizes the Stomach

Fortifies the Spleen and resolves dampness

Supports the correct Qi (energy in the body) and foster original Qi (supports genetic predisposition/DNA)

Tonifies qi and nourishes blood and yin

Clears fire and calms the spirit

Activates the meridian and channel and alleviates pain

Revives the yang and restores consciousness

Indications: 

Epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, bitter vomiting, vomiting pus and blood, hiccup, belching, distention and pain of the abdomen, fullness and distention of the chest, heart and abdomen, heat in the middle abdomen with propensity to hunger, poor appetite, difficult indigestion.

Borborygmus, flatulence, diarrhea and dysenteric disorder, undigested food in the stool, cold in the abdomen, cold in the intestines, chronic diarrhea, edema, heaviness of extremities, lower abdominal pain, jaundice and swelling without the ability to urinate.

Dyspnea, shortness of breath, cough and inability to stand too long with shortness of breath.

Dizziness, postpartum blood dizziness, dimness of vision, tinnitus, heart palpitations, hypertension

Mania-depression, bi-polar, manic singing, raving, abusive talk, anger and fright, tendency to sadness, outrageous laughter, agitation with heat in the body

Painful throat obstruction with the inability to speak, chills and fever, fever with a heavy head, headache, forehead headache, cold nose, pain in the head/brain, pain in the lateral costal region, blood stasis in the interior, sudden chest or heart pain, blood stasis in the heart, energy rushing up to the chest.

Lockjaw, clonic spasm, loss of consciousness

Breast abscess, swelling of the breast, pain of the knee or shin, pain of the thigh and shin, stroke, hemiplegia, muscle pain, chronic pain, back pain in lumbar region, back pain with the inability to turn (Deadman et al, 1998). 

According to Harvard University Newsletter: In a 2014 study, a group of  researchers found that electroacupuncture, a modern version of traditional acupuncture that uses electrical stimulation attached to the needles,  reduced the cytokine storm in mice by activating the vagal-adrenal axis—a pathway wherein the vagus nerve signals the adrenal glands to release dopamine in the body. The work was primarily supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant R01AT010629), and partially supported by Harvard/MIT Joint Research Grants Program in Basic Neuroscience and the Wellcome Trust (grant 200183/Z/15/Z).

According to Stanford University, they treat these conditions with acupuncture: chronic pain, musculoskeletal and joint pain, headache, cancer treatment side effects, gastrointestinal conditions, and women's health issues including urinary problems, infertility, nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and menopause. 

According to John Hopkins Hospital acupuncture points stimulate the central nervous system in our bodies. This action then releases chemicals into all aspects of our bodies including: muscles, spinal cord, and our brain. These biochemical alterations then stimulate the body's natural healing ability. Acupuncture promotes both physical and emotional well-being.

Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective alone or when used with conventional therapies to treat these conditions:

  • Upset stomach (nausea) caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy

  • Dental pain after surgery

  • Addiction

  • Headaches

  • Menstrual cramps

  • Tennis elbow

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Myofascial pain

  • Osteoarthritis

  • Low back pain

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

  • Asthma

  • Gastritis

  • IBS Irritable bowel syndrome

  • Digestive

  • Gastritis

  • Irritable bowel syndrome

  • Hepatitis

  • Hemorrhoids

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Insomnia

  • Nervousness

  • Neurosis

  • Gynecological

  • Rhinitis

  • Sinusitis

  • Sore throat

  • Menstrual pain

  • Infertility

  • Arthritis

  • Back pain

  • Muscle cramping

  • Muscle pain and weakness

  • Neck pain

  • Sciatica

  • Headaches

  • Migraines

  • Neurogenic bladder dysfunction

  • Parkinson's disease

  • Postoperative pain

  • Stroke

  • Allergic rhinitis

  • Sinusitis

  • Bronchitis

  • Irritable bladder

  • Prostatitis

  • Male infertility

  • Some forms of impotence

  • Addiction

Acupuncture also now called dry needling is the insertion of acupuncture needles, now often referred to as monofilament needles,  inserted into a muscle attempting to reach a  trigger point in the muscle belly. A trigger point is a local band of tight, irritable and dysfunctional muscle tissue. When dry needling is applied to an affected muscle or trigger point, it can decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow and reduce pain.  This is a modern use of acupuncture and licensed acupuncturists either: L.Ac. or DAcCHM are the most qualified to treat patients with this modality. 

Colin Eggleston