The Rising Popularity of Acupuncture in Complementary Therapy

By Al Marner

When it comes to medical treatments that have been around for a while there are few that can match acupuncture's claims for longevity. Archaeological findings of stone implements suggest the practice may have its origins in the Neolithic period. While it may seem like a new age fad to many in the western world it is an ingrained part of medicinal culture for many in the eastern hemisphere.

For the most part acupuncture involves inserting pins through the epidermis at critical points across the surface of the body. Centuries, perhaps even millennia of practicing the technique has led to the locations of these points. Many charts still survive from the middle ages and before outlining the locations of these critical points but there is not true consensus, with many different branches of practitioners having different maps for the locations of these points.

In traditional Chinese medicine the understanding is that inserting the needles into these critical points unblocks the flow of chi in a relevant area. Chi is the vital energy that flows through us all. It is believed that disruptions to this flow can result in a variety of illnesses and ailments as well as causing undesirable events to occur in one's life. According to Traditional Chinese Medical convention the critical points do not relate directly to the point on the body where they are located. For instance a point on the leg may relieve stomach upsets, a point on the nose may relieve tooth ache.

The range of ailments acupuncture provides relief for is quite large, everything from anxiety to liver disease. Commonly it is used to cure the common cold, to relieve pain and stress. It also has a high rate of success in helping smokers to quit and with reducing allergies.

There are no scientific explanations for how acupuncture works but studies show that it is more effective than placebo so scientists are generally very interested to know how it works. Even if as some suggest it is merely a particularly effective placebo that would make it as effective if not more so than many pharmaceutical drugs which only have to show a relatively small improvement over a placebo. Unlike many pharmaceutical treatments acupuncture has no known side effects. There are however many cases of pharmaceutical drugs having very detrimental side effects, in some cases ones that are worse than the ailment they were supposed to treat.

This is probably one of the factors that contribute to the continuing rise in the practice's popularity. It does not clearly interrupt internal functioning and compared to surgeries and other modern treatments is relatively non-invasive.

Sufferers of chronic pain often look to acupuncture to help relieve their suffering. The dangers of addiction to painkillers do not appeal to many and beyond that many Doctors resources are limited. With relatively low risks and potentially high rewards acupuncture is an attractive option for many.

Al Marner is author of many articles on a number of different subjects such as acupuncture and holistic therapy.

Why Disciplined People Can Live Longer and Healthier Lives

By Li Zheng, Ph.D.

I have observed many healthy and happy people who are in their 90s and still able to enjoy their lives. They share some common characteristics:

• They are very disciplined and follow a routine every day.
• They go to bed early and get up early.
• They have a positive attitude and hardly complain.
• They are very social and are willing to listen to other people's suggestions.
• Most of them follow a religion.
• They do not always have good genes to protect them.
• When they were young, they took care of their sick parents and learned the importance of being healthy.
• They eat healthy food most of the time and never overeat.

Meet Linda

Linda Yamamoto is an 88-year old Japanese-American lady who has had acupuncture with me for the past 6 years. She stayed at home until her youngest child went to high school. Then she started working for the government as an accountant. She has been very social, active, and happy. She donates money to a foundation to help the Asian college students in need. She does not travel a lot, but does participate in many kinds of social activities in Boston area. Her husband drives her around. She gets upset when her husband forgets to pick her up, but does not complain very much.

Good Genes Do Not Guarantee Good Health

Linda has inherited good genes from her mother, who lived to 98 years old without any health insurance. But good genes do not protect her from being sick. She developed hypothyroidism when she turned 40, after she delivered her third child. After a few years taking Synthroid for her thyroid condition, she developed atrial fibrillation. She then took β-blocker and two other medications for her heart condition. Her heartbeats slowed down with the medications, but never became normal.

The Hormone Replace Therapy (HRT) brought dreams to many post-menopausal women, thinking they can regain youth by taking this "magic pill". Linda tried it at the age of 68 only to see her period returning a year later. She thought that was not natural and quit the hormone pill immediately. She developed breast cancer after taking hormone supplements for a year at the age of 70. She had surgery, radiation therapy, but did not take Tamaxofen to block all her estrogen receptor, thus she did not lose her muscles and strength.

At the age of 80, she stopped working for the government because she realized that the stress was too much for her. She spent more time on social events. She always slept eight hours no matter when she went to bed. If she went to bed after midnight, her heartbeats would become irregular and her digestion become poor. For some time, she attended many social events in late evenings and had dinner after 7pm. During that time, her heartbeats were irregular even she was taking three medications. I suggested that she stop drinking coffee, have dinner before 7pm and go to bed before midnight.

Back on Track with Disciplined Healthy Routine

She gradually changed her habit. The heart condition and digestion have been improving for the past couple of years. She went to see her cardiologist for routine checkups and eventually stopped all her heart medications at the age of 87. Now she comes to see me for acupuncture facial rejuvenation. Her heartbeats are now normal. With her heart condition improved, she starts personal training in gym to tone her muscles. When she first started to lift weights three times a week, she felt pains in her knees and hip. But because she eats healthy, she did not have any systematic inflammation and her muscle pains were eased with only one or two acupuncture treatments. With acupuncture and exercises, her joint pain and Raynaud's syndromes do not bother her anymore. Her face looks like a 50-year-old; she still has sharp memory and never forgets to pay her bills on time. She still cooks, cleans and lives in her own house.

In conclusion, a disciplined healthy routine is the key for a long and happy life. You do not have to be rich or to travel all over the world to become healthy and happy.