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According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004), acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for these conditions:
* Also included in the World Health Organization list of acupuncture indications.
* Abdominal distention/flatulence*
* Acute and chronic pain control*
* Allergic sinusitis *
* Anesthesia for high-risk patients or patients with previous adverse responses to anesthetics
* Anorexia
* Anxiety, fright, panic*
* Arthritis/arthrosis *
* Atypical chest pain (negative workup)
* Bursitis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome*
* Certain functional gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, esophageal spasm, hyperacidity, irritable bowel) *
* Cervical and lumbar spine syndromes*
* Constipation, diarrhea *
* Cough with contraindications for narcotics
* Drug detoxification *
* Dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain *
* Frozen shoulder *
* Headache (migraine and tension-type), vertigo (Meniere disease), tinnitus *
* Idiopathic palpitations, sinus tachycardia
* In fractures, assisting in pain control, edema, and enhancing healing process
* Muscle spasms, tremors, tics, contractures*
* Neuralgias (trigeminal, herpes zoster, postherpetic pain, other)
* Paresthesias *
* Persistent hiccups*
* Phantom pain
* Plantar fasciitis*
* Post-traumatic and post-operative ileus *
* Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
* Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia) *
* Seventh nerve palsy
* Severe hyperthermia
* Sprains and contusions
* Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism *
* Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect) *
Scientific theories regarding acupuncture
Many hypotheses have been proposed to address the physiological mechanisms of action of acupuncture. To date, more than 10,000 scientific research studies have been published on acupuncture as cataloged by the National Library of Medicine database.
The World Health Organization acknowledges the effectiveness of Acupuncture in treating at least 43 clinical conditions, and this number will continue to grow as, every year, scientific studies are completed which further demonstrate the efficacy of Acupuncture. In 1996, the FDA changed the status of Acupuncture needles from "investigational" to "safe and effective". In 1997, the National Institutes of Health finally gave Acupuncture the "official" seal of approval in a Consensus Statement. Acupuncture can successfully reduce Chronic and Acute Pain conditions, including injuries, arthritis, headaches, neck and back pain, tendonitis, sciatica, carpal tunnel, and fibromyalgia. Acute pain can usually be addressed with a minimal number of treatments, whereas chronic pain conditions may require a longer series of sessions. A general rule of thumb is one month of treatments for every year that a condition has existed. Sufferers of Neurological Disorders such as post-stroke recovery, Bell's Palsy, Trigeminal Neuralgia, and movement disorders can greatly benefit from Acupuncture treatment. An Acupuncture protocol can commence two weeks after a stroke to minimize motor and sensory damage, and help restore proper functioning. Other neurological disorders can see great improvement with Acupuncture. It is possible to reverse certain conditions if in an early stage of development, or to prevent further deterioration at more advanced stages. Upper Respiratory Disorders like asthma, allergies, bronchitis, sinusitis, sore throat,laryngitis, colds and flu can be effectively treated by an Acupuncturist. Often, these disorders are treated with Chinese medicinals to achieve maximum effectiveness. Asthmatics can eventually wean off their steroids and inhalants, and certain bacterial and viral infections can be eradicated quickly and with greater specificity than that available from Western medical treatments such as antibiotics. Digestive Disorders such as irritable bowel, colitis, constipation, diarrhea, gastritis, heartburn, food allergies, and ulcers are commonly addressed with Acupuncture, whether caused by improper functioning of the digestive system or by the side effects of prescription medications. Reproductive Disorders such as menstrual cramps, PMS, irregular or heavy periods, infertility, menopausal symptoms, uterine fibroids, and polycystic ovarian disease have all been successfully treated by Acupuncture. Used in conjunction with herbal therapy, fibroids and cysts will shrink and sometimes even disappear. Menopause can become a far more pleasant transition, and menstruation can be regulated to maintain optimum health. Acupuncture can help increase the chances of pregnancy on its own, but it can also be used in conjunction with other fertility treatments; for instance, it can dramatically increase the percentage rates of successful IVF treatment. Acupuncture can also be of great assistance during pregnancy, treating common symptoms such as lower back pain, fatigue, nausea, headaches, edema, and restless fetus. Perhaps its most significant contribution to pregnancy is its ability to easily turn a malpositioned fetus, thus circumventing breeched birth and the need for cesarian section. Better Immune Function in the body is one of the great benefits that Acupuncture can offer. Disorders such as Hepatitis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and lupus can see improvement. Hepatitis outbreaks can be managed, and kept to a minimum. Cancer patients may have significant reductions in the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, and early-stage cancer can sometimes be reversed with Acupuncture. Addictions to nicotine, alcohol and drugs such as cocaine and crystal methamphetamine can be addressed with Acupuncture. Auricular (or Ear) Acupuncture is often combined with full-body treatments to achieve optimal results. Cravings are reduced and toxic agents are cycled out of the body to speed the recovery process. Eye and Ear Disorders such as Tinnitus, Meniere's disease, ear infection, glaucoma, and cataracts can be addressed with Acupuncture. Though a patient may not be cured of cataracts or glaucoma, further deterioration and discomfort can be prevented. An Acupuncturist can also help lower high blood pressure; aid in weight loss; reduce anxiety; safely treat depression and mood disorders; help focus those with ADD/ADHD, working to wean them off of pharmaceutical drugs; calm stress; help those with insomnia to get the rest they need; and help provide energy and vitality to those who suffer from fatigue.
Neurohormonal theory
Pain transmission can also be modulated at many other levels in the brain along the pain pathways, including the periaqueductal gray, thalamus, and the feedback pathways from the cortex back to the thalamus. Each of these brain structure processes different aspect of the pain — from experiencing emotional pain to the perception of what the pain feels like to the recognition of how harmful the pain is to localizing where the pain is coming from. Pain blockade at these brain locations are often mediated by neurohormones, especially those that bind to the opioid receptors (pain-blockade site). Pain relief by morphine drug (exogenous opioid) is acting on the same opioid receptor (where pain blockade occurs) as endorphins (endogenous opioids) that the brain produces and releases.
Some studies suggest that the Analgesic (pain-killing) action of acupuncture is mediated by stimulating the release of natural endorphins in the brain. This can be proven scientifically by blocking the action of endorphins (or morphine) using a drug called naloxone. When naloxone is administered to the patient, the analgesic effects of morphine can be reversed, causing the patient to feel pain again. When naloxone is administered to an acupunctured patient, the analgesic effect of acupuncture can also be reversed, causing the patient to report an increased level of pain. This demonstrates that the site of action of acupuncture may be mediated through the natural release of endorphins by the brain, which can be reversed by naloxone. Similar results were also obtained in experiments with animals showing that the analgesic effect is not due to subjective psychological placebo effect, but real physiological phenomena. Such analgesic effect can also be shown to last more than an hour after acupuncture stimulation by recording the neural activity directly in the thalamus (pain processing site) of the monkey's brain.[25] Furthermore, there is a large overlap between the nervous system and acupuncture trigger points (points of maximum tenderness in myofascial pain syndrome.
The sites of action of acupuncture-induced analgesia are also confirmed to be mediated through the thalamus (where emotional pain/suffering is processed) using modern-day powerful non-invasive fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography) brain imaging techniques, and via the feedback pathway from the cerebral cortex (where cognitive feedback signal to the thalamus distinguishing whether the pain is noxious (painful) or innocuous (non-harmful)) using electrophysiological recording of the nerve impulses of neurons directly in the cortex, which shows inhibitory action when acupuncture stimulus was applied.
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