Issues/FAQs

Does acupuncture cure or is it just a stopgap measure?

It does both. A correct diagnosis has to be made first and an appropriate treatment plan is geared towards restoring equilibrium. As mentioned in an earlier blog (Introducing Acupuncture), diagnosis is based on a series of steps -- interview, tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis and palpation. It looks at the human being as a mini-universe, a micro-cosmos. And the astute doctor must capture an accurate overall picture.

pulse diagnosistongue diagnosis guide

Many times, the problems are merely quality of life problems. These are conditions western medicine doctors often dismiss as “acceptable” or, worse, "psychosomatic" -- conditions which you just have to live with. But for the TCM doctor these are a concern and requires treatment before it becomes a western medicine concern.  Acupuncture works very well for serious conditions, too. They control the toxic side effects of chemotherapy and cobalt treatment.  Western medicine has recognized its role in the treatment of many types of pain conditions, stroke, infertility, etc.

How long do treatments last?

The needles are kept in place for 20 minutes. A course takes from one to 20 sessions. And, many times, especially for degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, complications of diabetes mellitus and stroke, the patient has to take several courses. It is advisable to continue treatment after the condition has been resolved for the purpose of maintenance and prevention. On the average, the course takes 2 to 3 months of weekly sessions but years of treatment is not unusual especially for the serious chronic conditions.


How about the danger of masking a serious condition?

What if the pain is actually a condition that requires immediate lifesaving surgery? What if the malignant tumor is still curable by immediate removal? What if it all ended up with treatment failure when all that was needed was a pill that was just there in the drugstore?

These are very legitimate issues that confront me everyday. Many times, the answers are clear-cut. Bacterial infections are still best treated with antibiotics. Life-threatening conditions, life support and most emergencies belong to western medicine. But there are gray areas. Here, I use the best of both worlds. I review all the existing laboratory and diagnostic work-up. If necessary, I get additional laboratory examination and refer for further diagnostic work-up. I keep up-to-date with the latest in the field. And I maintain a database of all the pertinent medical documents the patient has. But nothing beats frequent regular dialogue with the patient and/or his/her family regarding options, as well as keeping an effective network with other medical specialties. For when one deals with the illness of an individual, one deals with the innermost hopes and fears. And this is such a huge responsibility that I alone may not be able to bear at times. I seek help from other experts who may be in a better position to help my patient.

What are Channels/Meridians?

Unique to Traditional Chinese Medicine is the concept of channels or meridians. These are pathways where blood and qi flow. They are precise in location but they do not have a structural analogue.


Along the channels/meridians are specific points that have specific properties. Acupuncture points have individual properties that can effect particular changes in the physiology. And there are about 365 acupuncture points. Interestingly, electronmicroscope study of these points revealed no significant structure save for the fact that there is a small condensation of tissue in the area and that most of them are near peripheral nerve endings. This condensed tissue appears to have no western medicine function.

What is moxibustion?

Moxibustion is the process of warming by burning an herb over an acupuncture point. Moxa, the herb, is dried Artemisia vulgaris or mugwort. They come mainly in two forms: wool or rolled. Many attach them to the handle of the needle and are lit there. Some are placed in a heat conducting metal container which is in turn applied to the skin. Newer ones come as small rolled stubs attached to adhesive insulators which are directly applied to the skin. An old way is by burning them as rolled “tobaccos” which are manually held close to the point. Moxibustion drives the cold out of the system. It is considered better than using ultraviolet radiation.

Though no untoward effects have been documented, there are patients who do not like the smoke of moxa. Smokeless moxa is available though. A more important concern is the risk of burns though in some instances this is a desired effect. Burning of the skin – moxacautery -- is the direct application of the burning end of a rolled piece of moxa against the acupuncture points of the skin. A practice in ancient China, this is still being practiced in some of its far-flung provinces today. For cosmetic and health reasons, this is discouraged.

SAMPLES OF MOXA STICKS:

Introducing Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing method that uses very fine needles. These are inserted on points of the body to trigger the flow of energy and establish harmony or balance.

The diagnosis involves your complete history and physical examination. You will also undergo the Traditional Chinese Medicine method of tongue and pulse diagnoses. The doctor will ask several questions about your lifestyle, diet, personality and how you feel about certain events in your life. The approach is personal and holistic so that the proper points can be selected.

Is the treatment painful?

Other than a mild pinprick sensation or electrical jolt upon insertion of the needle, the treatment should be relatively painless. The desired feeling after insertion of the needle should be heavy, dull or numb. This sensation sometimes persists even after the session.

Possible mechanisms of acupuncture treatment

The medical journals cite theories and possible mechanisms of action. The first theory cited was the gate control theory. This theory suggests the presence of gate valves on the spinal cord that closes shut with acupuncture treatment; pricking the skin blocks the pain nerve impulses at the spinal cord level. However, this fails to explain why toothache is controlled by acupuncture. The spine goes up to the neck only. So, a follow-up theory states that there must be a gate also at the thalamus (up in the brain); hence, the multiple gate control theory. Eventually, both these theories were debunked. They then discovered the endorphins and other natural pain relieving hormones that get elevated with acupuncture. However, this also cannot explain why migraine disappears for long periods of time and, many times, resolved after acupuncture treatment. (Endorphins don’t last long in the blood). And, how about other non-pain conditions that improve with acupuncture like stroke? Of course, there are those who ascribe placebo. But this, too, cannot explain the consistent success of treatment in conditions like shingles, arthritis and sinusitis; placebo succeeds just 60% of the time.

Maybe, a Dr. Looney has the right answer. He wrote a letter to a medical journal suggesting that the nerves on the skin (peripheral nerves) have a special connection to the nerves that control the internal organs (autonomic nerves). When the peripheral nerves are needled, something happens to the autonomic nerves. He explained further that the peripheral nerves and the autonomic nerves arise from the same layer of the embryo; it is highly possible that the connection between the two types of nerves was never totally cut with the growth of the embryo. However, no such structure has been found so far. And, I know of no attempt to search for such a structure.

From the Oriental viewpoint, acupuncture re-establishes harmony in the flow of energy or Qi (chi) and blood in the body. It corrects the lack, excess or imbalance of energy (Qi) which causes illness. Another reason could be your body’s inability to protect itself from aversive environmental conditions. Acupuncture will promote the return of equilibrium -- restoring the balance of yin and yang (the two opposing forces in the cosmos) -- in your body and increase resistance against these aversive elements.

Acupuncture is widely accepted in many countries. In the Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Healthcare (PITAHC), a government agency, has listed acupuncture as one of its major thrusts in health care delivery. Acupuncture has been recognized by the Philippine government as a legitimate form of medical therapy as far back as 1960s. And in USA, in a landmark statement in 1999, the National Institutes of Health, University of Maryland, has listed a number of illnesses as treatable by acupuncture. Cited were addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia (general muscle pains), low back pains, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma.



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