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Is Acupuncture Safe?

Acupuncture is extremely safe when performed by a professional who has completed all licensing requirements. In most states, this means completing a four-year educational program that includes hundreds of hours of supervised hands-on clinical training. Most states also require practitioners to pass a written national board exam.
Most acupuncturists in the United States are rigorously trained in clean needle technique and use pre-sterilized, disposable needles to avoid the risk of infection or contagion.
And, because there are no drugs entering the body, there are no side effects associated with acupuncture!

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Western medicine cannot yet completely explain how acupuncture works. But more and more research is being conducted that confirms the effectiveness of the action of the points. In some studies, magnetic imaging has shown changes in the brain when certain points are stimulated. We do know that acupuncture improves circulation, reduces inflammation and can boost the immune system. Acupuncture has a powerful effect on both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and hence can regulate the whole body.

Does Acupuncture Hurt?

Acupuncture needles are very thin and flexible and most people find the insertion almost painless. Once the needles are in place in the body, there may be a sensation around the needle – usually one of heaviness, achiness, warmth or tingling. Most people find that the body goes into a very relaxed and balanced state. It is very common for people to fall sound asleep during the treatment.

How Long Does an Acupuncture Treatment Take?

I usually tell my patients to plan on being at my office for an hour and a half for the first visit. This allows enough time to do the customary paperwork, get a complete medical history from a Chinese medicine point of view and to do the acupuncture treatment itself.
Chinese medicine examines every aspect of the functioning of the body to arrive at a diagnosis. A good practitioner will inquire about body temperature, diet, thirst, appetite, elimination, energy level, lifestyle, sleep habits, and pain in the body. Details of the menstrual cycle of female patients are extremely important and revealing of imbalances in the body. Chinese medicine has always recognized that extreme emotional events can eventually cause pain or disease. Much information is derived from an examination of the tongue. And the practitioner will take the pulse on both wrists, looking not only for a heart rate, but also for a strength and overall quality of the pulse that is very indicative of the imbalances in the body. The treatment then aims at treating both the symptom and the underlying cause of the imbalance.

Where Do the Needles Go?

There are many styles of acupuncture, several “micro-systems” of acupuncture, and many theories on how to pick the location of points to use to treat a given problem. And they all work! There are thousands of acupuncture points on the body. Some are mapped on the meridians and some are single “experience” points that have been documented to have a specific effect for a specific problem. Auricular acupuncture maps the whole body on the ear. Korean style acupuncture maps the whole body on the hand. There are several styles of scalp acupuncture. And there are many methods of manipulating the needles to achieve the desired effect on the energy in the body.

Does Acupuncture Interfere with Other Treatment Modalities?

There is nothing about acupuncture that would interfere with other treatment modalities. In fact, acupuncture is often incorporated into a comprehensive treatment program and can enhance the effectiveness of physical therapy and chiropractic care. The end result is a speedier recovery from injuries.

How Do I Prepare for an Acupuncture Treatment?

There is very little that the patient needs to do. I advise people to wear comfortable clothing that gives access to the knees and elbows. It is also best to avoid getting a treatment immediately after a big meal, or when extremely fatigued, upset or hungry.

Does Insurance Cover Acupuncture?

Medicaid and Medicare do not yet cover acupuncture. But many supplemental insurance plans are starting to cover acupuncture treatments. Many health benefit packages are also starting to cover acupuncture.
I advise my patients to contact their insurance carriers to see if they have coverage.

Drug Free Pain Relief

With the recent controversy over the safety of the cox-2 inhibiting prescription pain medications Vioxx and Celebrex and most recently, the over the counter medication Naproxin (Aleve), people are beginning to ask themselves which is worse – living with the pain or living with the risk of cardiovascular problems as a side effect of the drugs?

For many, there may be another option. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture’s ability to treat over 43 common disorders including arthritis, back, neck and shoulder pain, neuralgia and migraines. Independent research studies have also shown acupuncture to be effective in treating sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, trigeminal neuralgia, TMJ and post surgical pain. Although acupuncture has only been practiced in this country for three decades, it has been an integral part of Chinese medicine for over three thousand years. Today acupuncture remains a completely safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical medication for both acute and chronic pain.