Acupuncture…How, When, and Why

It happened that I started back to school at the University of Guadalajara to work on a degree in Acupuncture. This was a dream realized for me, with raising 2 children in Mexico; I could not find the time or funds to go back to school. Then the U of G offered this course study right here in P.V. What a gift huh?

Mexico has a connection with the Chinese since 1986 when both powers decided they had something in common, traditional medicine.

A group of medical professors from the U. De G. were invited to Beijing to share in a cultural-medical exchange at the International Acupuncture Training Center of China.

My professor happened to be one of them; he came back convinced that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was far superior to the western alternative. He now only practices TCM.

Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Originating in China more than 4,000 years ago, actually dating back to the Clan commune period, acupuncture began to become better known in the West in the 70´s when the baby boomers started seeking alternatives to western medicine.

Now there are a number of qualified schools of acupuncture in the U.S., and here in Mexico.

Many of the forward university hospitals include acupuncture in their comprehensive complimentary therapy strategy.

The term acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques. Western practices of acupuncture incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. The acupuncture technique that has been most widely used involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

What does acupuncture feel like? Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin.

People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel no or minimal pains as the needles are inserted.

Some people are energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed. Improper needle placement, movement of the patient, or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain during treatment.

This is why it is important to seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner.

Relatively few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported in light of the millions of people treated each year and the number of acupuncture needles used. Still, complications have resulted from inadequate sterilization of needles and from improper delivery of treatments.

Practitioners should use a new set of disposable needles taken from a sealed package for each patient and should swab treatment sites with alcohol or another disinfectant before inserting needles.

There have been many studies on acupuncture’s potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size, as well as difficulties with choosing and using placebos or sham acupuncture.

However, promising results have emerged showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain.

There are other situations--such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma--in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.

An NCCAM-funded study recently showed that acupuncture provides pain relief, improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. I have found it to be very useful in patients with tennis elbow, frozen shoulder syndrome, rotator cuff injuries and osteoarthritis of the knee as well.

How acupuncture works?

Acupuncture is one of the key components of the system of traditional Chinese Medicine In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle.

Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a “balanced state” and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of GI(vital energy) along pathways known as meridians.

It is believed that there are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians and that there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body that connect with them.

Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture’s effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine that is commonly practiced.

It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects through regulating the nervous system, thus aiding the activity of painkilling bio-chemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body.

In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and, thus, affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person’s blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.
The bottom line is that Acupuncture works. TCM addressed deeper issues that originate in the organs rather than the western approach that seeks to treat the symptoms of disease. An acupuncturist will treat you an hour or so, perhaps prescribe a herbal concoction and send you home to rest for at least 24 hours. The industrial medical practitioner will see you for 15 minutes and prescribe a medication that may ease you symptoms almost at once, and send you back to your work world with a lighter wallet.

You feel better shortly after taking your meds, however the root of the disease has not been affected. That is how TCM explains so many degenerative diseases that are wide spread in these days, the root of the disease has not been addressed. Here in lays the difference between the east and the west when it comes to medicine.

There you have it, questions and comments may be addressed to me at organic-select@hotmail.com

Krystal Frost is a long time resident of Puerto Vallarta.

She holds a degree from the University of Guadalajara in Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and herbology.

Ms. Frost went on to specialize in cosmetic acupuncture at Bastyr University in Washington State. She is the owner of Body & Sol in P.V. for over 18 years where she practices Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, facial rejuvenation, massage therapy, yoga therapy and nutritional counseling.

She is also co owner and creator of Organic Select Mexico, an on line organic bakery and market.
www.organic-select.com
Krystal has created wellness and specialized culinary programs for individuals, retreats and spas.
Questions and comments may be directed to
organic-select@hotmail.com