Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture

Stimulation of muscles and nerves to balance blood flow and promote long-term health and wellbeing.

Treatment for aches, pains, and neurological disorders

Safe, effective relief from pain

Long-term health and balance

What is acupunture?

Acupuncture is a type of treatment that involves inserting ultra-thin needles at specific points on the body and at varying depths.

While the technique is derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, the treatment has risen in popularity across the world, with over 10 million treatments given annually in the US alone [1].

Treatment areas

Acupuncture can help treat many conditions, particularly those involving chronic pain.

The World Health Organization's review and analysis of reports on clinical trials [2] indicates that acupuncture is an effective treatment for 28 diseases and disorders, including:

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Depression
Dental and facial pain
Elbow pain
Headache
Hypertension
Knee pain
Nausea & Vomiting (inc. morning sickness)
Neck pain
Shoulder pain (inc. periarthritis)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica (nerve pain)
Sprains
Stroke.

Other studies suggest acupuncture is beneficial in further areas such as:

Back pain [3, 4]
Knee osteoarthritis [5]
Knee rheumatoid arthritis [6]
Migraine [7]
Myofascial jaw pain [8]
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) [9].

How does treatment work?

Traditional Chinese Medicine explains our health through the balance of the opposing 'yin' and 'yang' life forces - or 'qi' - that flow throughout the body. While strong health is associated with balance of the qi, illness is explained as deriving from energy imbalances.

This energy is said to flow across the body through 12 'meridians' (or channels), accessible via 361 specific acupoints.

Both acupuncture and acupressure seek to correct energy imbalances by stimulating specific combinations of the acupoints.

Scientific explanation

"An abundance of information has now accumulated concerning the neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture, in relation to both neural pathways and neurotransmitters/hormonal factors that mediate autonomic regulation, pain relief and other therapeutics." [10]

Some scientists explain acupuncture and acupressure through neurobiology, seeing the acupoints as specific positions where the muscles and nerves can be stimulated to bring about benefit to the muscular [11], immune [12], cardiovascular [13] and autonomic nerve systems [14], as well as blood flow [15].

Video courtesy of FXNL Media [start to 1:00]

References

1. Hao JJ, Mittelman M. Acupuncture: past, present, and future. Glob Adv Health Med. 2014;3(4):6-8. doi:10.7453/gahmj.2014.042

2. British Acupuncture Council. WHO List of Conditions. https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/public-content/public-traditional-acupuncture/4026-who-list-of-conditions.html Accessed: 29 Jan 2021

3. Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(19):1444–1453.

4. Liu L, Skinner M, McDonough S, Mabire L, Baxter GD. Acupuncture for low back pain: an overview of systematic reviews. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:328196.

5. Selfe TK, Taylor AG. Acupuncture and osteoarthritis of the knee: a review of randomized, controlled trials. Fam Community Health. 2008;31(3):247-254. doi:10.1097/01.FCH.0000324482.78577.0f

6. Chou PC, Chu HY. Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis and associated mechanisms: a systemic review. Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2018;2018:8596918.

7. Molsberger A. The role of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine. CMAJ. 2012;184(4):391-392. doi:10.1503/cmaj.112032

8. Shen YF, Younger J, Goddard G, Mackey S. Randomized clinical trial of acupuncture for myofascial pain of the jaw muscles. J Orofac Pain. 2009 Fall;23(4):353-9. PMID: 19888488; PMCID: PMC2894813.

9. Rosted P, Bundgaard M, Pedersen AM. The use of acupuncture in the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunction--an audit. Acupunct Med. 2006 Mar;24(1):16-22.

10. Ma SX. Neurobiology of Acupuncture: Toward CAM. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2004;1(1):41-47. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh017

11. Itoh K, Minakawa Y, Kitakoji H. Effect of acupuncture depth on muscle pain. Chin Med. 2011;6(1):24. Published 2011 Jun 22. doi:10.1186/1749-8546-6-24

12. Liang F, Cooper EL, Wang H, Jing X, Quispe-Cabanillas JG, Kondo T. Acupuncture and Immunity. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:260620. doi:10.1155/2015/260620

13. Ballegaard S, Muteki T, Harada H, Ueda N, Tsuda H, Tayama F, Ohishi K. Modulatory effect of acupuncture on the cardiovascular system: a cross-over study. Acupunct Electrother Res. 1993 Apr-Jun;18(2):103-15. doi: 10.3727/036012993816357548. PMID: 7902640.

14. Li, Q. Q., Shi, G. X., Xu, Q., Wang, J., Liu, C. Z., & Wang, L. P. (2013). Acupuncture effect and central autonomic regulation. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 267959. doi:10.1155/2013/267959

15. Takayama S, Watanabe M, Kusuyama H, et al. Evaluation of the effects of acupuncture on blood flow in humans with ultrasound color Doppler imaging. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:513638. doi:10.1155/2012/513638