All about Acupuncture risks and benefits

Therapies outside the medical mainstream tend to suffer from a dearth of research and critical evaluation. Critics and supporters alike note the conceptual and practical difficulties in studying many complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and meditation.

Alternative treatments that become popular are often not the most interesting prospects. In botanical medicine, for example, there is research showing the benefit of herbal products such as ginkgo for improving dementia due to circulation problems; benign prostatic hypertrophy with saw palmetto preparations; and arthritis pain with extracts of the hot chili pepper (capsicum).

The actual practice of acupuncture involves understanding the centers and meridians of the body, and where the points that control various organs and bodily systems are. It involves the use of pressure, often applied by inserting fine steel needles into the body, at those points and manipulating those needles to achieve certain effects.

For example, a problem with an organ such as the liver is to be treated by sticking a needle into a certain point on the ear that is supposed to be the corresponding point for that organ, It is a method of diagnosis and treatment based on the unsubstantiated belief that the ear is the map of the bodily organs.

Acupuncturists tend to perceive TCM (traditionsal chinese medecine) concepts in functional rather than structural terms, i.e. As the NIH consensus statement noted: "Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points", the definition and characterization of these points remains controversial. TCM sees the body as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow or passive principle and yang the hot, excited or active principle.

Is Acupuncture worth the risks and benefits, The chinese believe that Disease is caused by an imbalance of these forces and can be rectified by regulating the flow of energy in these meridians. Traditional practitioners say this is done by re balancing the Yin and Yang, unblocking Chi, along with various other mystical explanations. In mainstream medicine, acupuncture is known to work as a form of pain relief

The process of acupuncture has not been found painful by its patients. Sometimes there may be a slight irritability when the needle is inserted, especially when it is in a sensitive part of the body.

We should compare the acupuncture risks benefit ratio. Now if something has no benefit then even a slight risk weighs very heavily? but if? some other therapeutic intervention has the potential to save your life then enormous risks are acceptable.

Before undergoing any acupuncture treatment your family doctor should be informed about it. Also the acupuncturist should be kept informed about any medical treatment that you are undergoing. There are several factors which can make the situation worse when you are undergoing treatment. First of all it depends on how experienced the acupuncturist is, and then how sensitive you are to the treatment and lastly, the gravity of your problem.

Acupuncture treatment is effective for post-operative pain, migraines and nausea. There should be more research done so that it can be used to treat other medical conditions as well.

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