Acupuncture

Guest · Acupuncture

My friend just did a course of acupuncture at a Chinese herbalists - £400 (ouch) - she has had terrible PMT and in lots of pain her entire life with it (she's 34) - she says the acupuncture has knocked this back to a very copeable level and swears it was sorth every penny. She said she could tell from the first session it would work so maybe worth having a taster session if anyone is thinking of taking the plunge.

Hecateh

I've posted a little bit of informaion about acupuncture here fomrthe BBC site http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healt...icine/therapies_acupuncture.shtml
It's one of those weird things that despite evidence being mixed it is available sometimes on the NHS and it may be worth trying to get a referral from your GP if it's something you think would be useful.

EFT (emotional freedom teherapy) is an acupressure version (no needles) that I have recently found out about, that you can quickly and easily learn for yourself - and I find it's working for me - see EFT post. AND it's FREE, all you have ot invest is some time.

What is it?
Acupuncture is one of the most popular and well-established forms of complementary medicine in the UK. It is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that’s been practised for thousands of years.

What does it involve?
The insertion of ultra-fine, metal needles at various carefully chosen points on the skin.

Who practises it?
About 3,000 acupuncturists and healthcare professionals in the UK, including doctors, physiotherapists and dentists.

What's it used for?
It's commonly used to treat pain, relieve common ailments and promote general health.

Other uses include:

treating injuries in sports medicine
relieving childhood illnesses
helping overcome drug addiction

What's the evidence?
There is a growing body of research evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture, especially to treat nausea (particularly postoperative), dental problems and low back pain.

There is also some evidence that it may help other conditions, including headaches, hay fever, osteoarthritis, neck pain, prostate problems, bed-wetting and labour pain.

However, not all studies for these conditions showed positive results. More high-quality, well-designed research is needed to test acupuncture's effects further.

Some good reviews are available online in the Cochrane Reviews, which provide independent evidence on specific healthcare topics. Use the search box provided to search for acupuncture.

The NHS Complementary and Alternative Medicine Specialist Library also has research on acupuncture. It's aimed at health professionals, but much of it is accessible by patients and carers in plain language summaries.

How popular is it?
A 2005 report says approximately one million NHS acupuncture treatments and two million private treatments take place in England every year.

How does it work?
Acupuncturists believe it regulates the flow of ‘vital energy’, known as ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’), that circulates through a series of invisible channels in the body, known as meridians.

Stimulating the acupuncture points is thought to release blockages in this energy flow and promote healing mechanisms.

More conventional theories include triggering the production of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in the brain known as endorphins, blocking pain receptors or stimulating the nervous system by means of acupuncture needles.

Guest

While I have seemingly bashed other pseudo-science therapies on this site, I can say that acupuncture (not acupressure) has sound scientific evidence to back it.

There is moderate scientific evidence for reliving certain pains and good MRI evidence for brain deactivation. So much so, I thought of trying it myself to help my insomnia.

Guest

I've tried acupuncture. I fell and badly sprained my ankle. Six months after I'd done it I still had pain and swelling round the ankle and it didn't appear to be getting better. I had a course of acupuncture. It worked. Swelling and pain went. It was very strange. Needles were placed in various places around the foot and toes. It was very strange cause some of the needles heated up.

Often think I'll try it for migraines as I suffer from them. At the moment they are manageable and I don't get them that often. If they got worse I'd definitely try acupuncture.

Hecateh

I was talking to a friend today who was saying how two years ago she had acupuncture for her hay fever. The treatment itself left her with absolutely streaming eyes and nose but the day after the last treatment she woke up with a clear head and eyes and hasn't had a moment's trouble since. She now loves gardening whereas she didn't dare go out in the garden all spring before. She swears by it BUT expensive yes.

mummymelly

That sounds interesting. I've suffered with hayfever all my life and it's so annoying. It's been terrible this last couple of weeks actually. May have to look into this more.

Guest

Just two years ago I was diagnosed with rather strange illness that affects my balance....there was very little in the way of conventional medicine that could help apart from anti sickness tablets, so as an experiment my physiotherapist ,who was also a trained acupuncturist , gave me several sessions with the needles to help alleviate some of the syptoms...I must say that it did help my balance considerably and allowed me some space to relax...
Having worked in a Hopsice with people with life limiting illnesses I also saw acupuncture used quite successfully for pain relief and relaxation.