The Facts About Acupuncture And Alternative Medicine
In the February 2011 issue of The Female Patient there was an article stating that acupuncture has become a bigger part of mainstream medicine. We’ve seen a steady increase of acupuncturists in Los Angeles using acupuncture for pregnant women who would like limited risks and complications that you may encounter when taking medication. Through personal experiences and passing the information along many Los Angeles women have discovered that acupuncture does work and that the risks to the well being of their child and themselves are limited, even if there isn’t scientific proof that can only be attained through expensive clinical trials. Studies have shown that acupuncture can help during pregnancy with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and can also be a successful treatment for back and pelvic pain and depression. Acupuncture has been shown to help induce labor, reduce labor pain and greatly reduce the need for analgesia during childbirth. The risks during acupuncture are extremely limited, and provide a safe and effective alternative to using pharmaceuticals, which can cause complications. With all of this information women are ready turn to acupuncture and explore the benefits, once they see positive results they will keep using acupuncture without the support of extensive scientific studies. They have first hand experience in the benefits of acupuncture and why it works.
Many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy about %50 to %90. Through stimulation of one point called PC-6 (which is located on the forearm, palm side between two tendons approximately three finger width up from the crease of the wrist) using Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in alleviating symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Using electro stimulation (electroacupuncture) and acupressure may improve results when used at this point (PC-6). Patients are not concerned with exact mechanism or scientific proof of these results if it works.
There are other common symptoms with pregnancy that acupuncture can alleviate such as, pelvic pain and back pain. Of the twenty five percent of women who will see their Doctor for help with these symptoms up to eight percent will be on bed rest and up to seven percent will continue to suffer with these symptoms after their child is born. Acupuncture has also been shown to have positive results in helping with back and pelvic pain in pregnant women. The regular medical treatment for these symptoms is physical therapy acupuncture has shown that it may be more effective. Acupuncture gives low risk treatment that doesn’t involve medication to treat back pain and pelvic pain in women who are pregnant.
Pregnant women from ages 25 to 45 many times experience sometimes, serious depression. Doctors and other medical professionals have been looking for natural methods to treat depression, as it is vital to the health of not only the mother and baby but the entire family. Steering away from medications during pregnancy reduces risk and complications. There are random controlled clinical trials which show that there is a %63 positive response when using acupuncture to treat depression in pregnant women. Using acupuncture has proven to be an effective alternative to pharmaceuticals for treating depression and the risks are slim.
Acupuncture is not popular for inducing labor just yet, although it has been shown to reduce the necessity for analgesics during childbirth. Every acupuncturist must be made aware of specific precautions when treating pregnant women. Acupuncture is an excellent alternative to many medications and is a low risk, natural practice. Veterinarians have been successful at showing how well acupuncture works by using it on animals thus eliminating the thought that acupuncture creates the placebo effect.
Executing a clinical trial is very expensive. Acupuncture does not have something to patent like pharmaceutical companies, so there is no monetary gain to be had by conducting trials for acupuncture. We need to wait for government organizations or non- profit organizations such as the National Institute of Health to provide funding and to conduct these studies. This is a long process and takes far longer than for a profit private sector. MRI scans of the brain during acupuncture show strong readings the moment the insertion of the acupuncture needle sends a signal to the brain through the afferent nervous pathways, this stimulates the desired response of the CNS (central nervous system). The CNS sends desired signals to the targeted areas of the body through the efferent nervous system pathways. Just one of the crucial reactions achieved through acupuncture is to settle down the sympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture may allow the central nervous system to do its job, restoring health and maintaining it by taking the patient away from the fight or flight response.
Acupuncture is becoming very popular in mainstream medicine although there is a lack of several scientific studies proving why and how it works. Many patients are going to try acupuncture because of the low risk, and that it is natural. Acupuncture is also pharmaceutical free. Patients pass the positive results of along to others and keep using acupuncture because of their own beneficial results. Because it has grown in popularity many Medical Doctors and other practitioners are made aware of the effective results of acupuncture, which will prompt them to refer patients to an acupuncturist. Eastern and Western medicine has the ability to provide patients with an array of treatments this in turn, creates more opportunities for success.
Having an Acupuncturist is a great way to stay healthy. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine that provides low risk treatment for many conditions.