How does acupuncture work? ?!


Question: How does acupuncture work!? !?
Answers:
I recently tweaked my wrist playing tennis!. I had acupuncture done on it and played tennis hour later, with significantly less pain!. Two needles were inserted into one side of my wrist!. Then the old Chinese doc hooked up wires to those needles (used only once then thrown away)!. Electric current in run through the pressure points for about 10-15 minutes!. Once that was done, the doc used a contraption to "realign" the tendons (which hurt a bit)!. Then he used something to massage it!. This was my first experience with acupuncture, but my mom, my wife, and other family members have gone to the same acupuncturist and have had great results!. I think it really works for some problems, and obviously no for some chronic ones!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

There are a number of different ways to describe it depending on your model of how the body works!.

Western medicine uses a mechanical model!. The nervous system conveys two types of message to the brain: touch and pain!. The touch reaction is more powerful than the pain reaction - that's why you can temporarily relieve pain by rubbing near where it hurts!. Acupuncture needles interfere with the touch sensation and reduce or switch off the pain sensation!. The relief from pain also releases endorphins which are the body's own form of pain management!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

It dosen't!. Acupuncture is based on a metaphysical concept of which there is no plausible scientific rationale!. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience!. Blind over studies have been carried out and have shown acupuncture, in clinical trials to be no more than a placebo effect!.

In answer to your question!. Acupuncture is one of China's traditional medicines!. Basically the objective is to restore the balance of the universal energy Qi in the body!. This is done through the application of fine needles into various strategic points on the body to balance the Yin and Yang, which is supposed to restore harmony!. Some acupuncturists claim they can cure certain illnesses and come claim it aids pain management!.

Most evidence has dismissed the idea of acupuncture aiding pain relief as anecdotal!. In blind over studies it was again proven to be no more beneficial than a placebo!. There are small scale studies that seem to show acupuncture aiding pain management, but it has been vastly over exaggerated and the effects were shown to be little more than a basic analgesic, this also was not proven!.

Pain is always a subjective experience unique to the individual!. It's always hard to measure!. With regards to the small scale studies, one also has to take into account the 'experimental effect' which is similar to the placebo!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Of ancient chinese origin, it basically, is putting needles into pressure or trigger points on the body, that relate to a bodily function in another part of your body, sometimes, just the needle is put in, sometimes it is also moved (grated) and sometimes it is lit, to heat the needle, a failing kidney, for instance, will be helped by applying a needle in a different part of the body known as a pressure point, the ancient chinese have acupuncture drawings of the whole body and it's pressure points!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

It's based on the pre-science notion that the acupuncture points lay along meridians, for which is is zero anatomical basis!.

Qi, or vital energy is said to flow along these meridians, again there is no scientific basis for the existence of this "energy"!. It is an ancient notion which is also put forward by new agers!.

Science and physics has a thorough understanding of energy, which is a measure of work capability!. The term is misused by those promoting it's healing abilities!. New age healing "energy" is completely undetectable by modern scientific instruments, and there is no explanation for its manifestation and properties!. Keep in mind that we can measure a 20 watt (less than a light bulb) signal from voyager which is better than nine billion miles out from earth!.

But so-called healers can detect this "energy" and manipulate it for healing purposes - apparently it is healing energy only, it never causes any damage!. It can apparently heal blockages in our meridians!.

If this sound like complete nonsense, bare in mind that acupuncture fails under good quality independent controlled trials, largely unable to beat placebo!. Surely ones money is better spent on conventional evidence based methods, that actually are plausible and known to work, and unverifiable pseudoscience does not need to be invoked to explain it!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

1!. It doesn't!. It is popular urban myth that it is used in China for anesthesia!.!.!.they don't, they never have!. Read my link at the end of this!.

2!. Well, there is weak evidence that it MAY have some effect on mild pain or nausea!. That's all there is to show after decades of studies and hundreds of papers written!. Pretty flimsy!? you bet!. The problem is that acupuncture is particularly difficult to study under true double blind conditions!. You can blind the patient, but you can't blind the acupuncturist!. The best evidence from large trials!.!.!.even the ones in Germany where they are sympathetic to it, show that sham acupuncture works as well as the real thing, and better than nothing!. In other words!.!.!.it is a placebo effect!.

3!. If it does work at all!.!.and I'm a skeptic, obviously, it sure as hell doesn't work by encouraging your chi to flow through your meridians!. That is mystical crap!. There are ideas about releasing endorphins, the gate theory of pain, and blocking of the small "p" fibres that are too complicated to get into!.

Here's a good article on acupuncture by Harriet Hall MD (the original SkepDoc) and more good articles at sciencebasedmedicine!.org

http://www!.skeptic!.com/eskeptic/08-10-08!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

How does it work:

There is no simple answer to this question!. In the orient it is sufficient to say that acupuncture stimulates and regulates our energy (or Qi)!. Within the West we are always looking for another explanation that more easily fits into our concept of what medicine is and how medicine works!. Unfortunately no-one can firmly say, acupuncture works by such and such method!.!.!.!. The problem is that there are many different styles and techniques of acupuncture and they don t fit any one particular model!. We do have some understand about how acupuncture works, but we don1t have the complete picture!.

For example, when acupuncture is used as an analgesic for operations in China it is understood that the insertion and manipulation of acupuncture needles stimulates the production of the body s own natural painkillers - endorphins!. At the other end of the scale, very gentle stimulation of the small toe of a 34 week pregnant woman, can cause the baby to turn into the correct position if it is lying in a breech position!. This would not stimulate the body s endorphins!. Instead other theories have emerged about the effect it has on the adrenal glands!.!.!. another model for another type of acupuncture!.

In short, there are many theories about how acupuncture works but there are is no one conclusive answer!.



hope this helps xWww@Answer-Health@Com

Tiny needles are inserted into certain pressure points on your body depending on your symptoms or problems!. Stimulating these pressure points opens up blocked energy in the body allowing your systems to function properly!. It can help with just about anything that western medicine "helps" with!. Acupuncture is great for getting to the root of a problem and not just masking it with a lot of drugs!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

they put tiny little needles into your skin on your pressure points to release tension!. i got it on my face for my acne, didnt really work though but i know it works for tension coz me and my family get it all the time from sports and stuffWww@Answer-Health@Com

people who enjoy pain, put lots of needles into your body for thier pleasure and convince you its doing somthing, then you pay lots of money and keep going back to simply be stabbed around for an hour!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

really thin needles into you pressure points!.!.!. i think but im nt an expertWww@Answer-Health@Com





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