The power of acupuncture

[Guest guest]

The power of acupuncture

 

By SUZANNE KYDLAND ADY

Of The Gazette Staff

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1 & display=rednews/2004/11/10/build/h\

ealth/25-acupuncture.inc

 

November 10, 2004

 

Last modified November 10, 2004 - 12:56 am

 

Women are trying it for wrinkles. It may help kids with allergies. New

research has doctors believing it can help with fertility problems. Some

people even try it on their pets.

 

It's not a cure-all for everything, but doctors and patients in the

world of Western medicine are beginning to realize the power of acupuncture.

 

The age-old practice of inserting needles into certain points in the

body to relieve pain and treat disease has been an integral part of

Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years.

 

At St. Vincent Healthcare's Center for Health and Healing, it turns out

that one acupuncturist on staff was not enough. Dr. Nicole Winbush was

brought to the center about two months ago to help Dr. Patricia Lahaie

with the recent influx of acupuncture appointments.

 

Winbush, also a family-practice physician, said she always had a

personal interest in complementary therapies.

 

During her residency training, which Winbush finished last year, she

noticed many patients would come in with complaints of low back pain,

depression or fatigue.

 

Thought and logic

 

" Western medicine has a certain rigor to it, " Winbush said. " It's a

well-established system of thought with logic behind it.

 

" We could rule out certain things, but it didn't change the fact that

these patients still hurt. "

 

So Winbush, along with a growing number of fellow students, was trained

in acupuncture through University of California-Los Angeles School of

Medicine's continuing education course.

 

" The whole system of Chinese medicine is completely different from

Western medicine, " she explained. " Everything - from evaluating patients

to treating them. "

 

In Chinese medicine, acupuncture is based on the idea that the human

body is made up of channels circulated by energy called qi (pronounced

" Chee " ). Easterners believe that, if this flow is interrupted, pain or

illness will result. Acupuncture works to correct circulation imbalances

at various points throughout the body.

 

Western medicine views the process a bit differently. Some say that

putting a needle through the skin stimulates a reaction that produces

pain-modulating chemicals in the body, thus decreasing certain pain.

 

A few theories say qi doesn't exist at all, while some traditional

doctors have a difficult time with the idea because the pathways of qi

don't correlate with those of nerve or blood circulation.

 

In 1997, a panel from National Institutes of Health concluded that

information on acupuncture was ambiguous, mainly because past studies

have been poorly designed. But the group added that " promising results

have emerged, " particularly in treating chemotherapy-related nausea and

postoperative pain.

 

And in the past few years, the Federal Drug Administration has approved

acupuncture needles for medical use by licensed practitioners.

 

The single-use needles used for acupuncture treatments are as thin as

hair. Most patients feel minimal or no pain as the needles are inserted.

Some people are energized after a treatment, while others feel relaxed.

 

Pleasant and positive

 

" It's usually a pleasant and positive experience, " Winbush said. " I've

actually had people fall asleep during a treatment. "

 

Winbush said there has been an increase of people interested how

acupuncture works, as well as more research being done with

complementary therapies.

 

She added that recent research has discovered therapeutic effects, such

as emotional benefits and more energy, may stem from acupuncture.

 

" Some aspects of acupuncture are understood, some aren't, " Winbush said.

" But it's specifically related to pain - it stimulates the release of

endorphins. "

 

Winbush said the scope of patients she treats with acupuncture is wide,

but the majority come in for back pain. Still, acupuncture has the

potential to treat digestive problems, vertigo, irritable bowel

syndrome, diarrhea, headaches and respiratory problems.

 

Patients typically see their regular physicians and use acupuncture for

an adjunct treatment, which Winbush recommends.

 

" It's not a miracle cure, " she said. " It shouldn't be used as the sole

therapy. But it provides people with several options. "

 

Generally, when a person begins acupuncture treatments, Winbush will

review the patient's health history prior to the first visit. The

initial appointment may be 90 minutes, and following sessions between 30

minutes and one hour.

 

More acute problems are often resolved quickly, Winbush said, while

chronic issues may take several treatments, typically a couple weeks apart.

 

" The number of sessions will vary, " she said. " But there's usually

incremental improvement over whatever is bothering someone. "

 

Winbush explained the vastness of Chinese medicine allows for

acupuncture to treat pain, and also be used as a preventive procedure.

She mentioned the process has been shown to lower blood pressure and

anxiety levels.

 

" Usually, the patients coming to see me have a willingness to try

acupuncture, " she said. " Patients are much more armed with information

and they want to be an active part of their own health care. "

 

Practitioners use a variety of acupuncture techniques, including lasers

and electricity.

 

Winbush said some Western doctors might be uncertain about the benefits

of acupuncture, be most should be able to advise patients on the safety

of the treatment.

 

" There are definitely no conditions which are going to be made worse by

acupuncture, " Winbush said.

[Guest guest]

I'm happy to see this article on acupuncture, and I can personally

attest to its viability. Having suffered from the non-treatable pain

of fibromyalgia for many years, I have finally found relief, without

taking a single pill, through acupuncture. My energy level is up, my

stress is down, my sleep is peaceful. My very first visit felt like a

miracle. I went in that morning feeling like I'd been hit by a bus.

Stressed out to the bone from the pain and lack of sleep, I really

didn't expect much from just one visit. Two hours later I walked out

of the office feeling like I had been reborn...no pain, lots of

energy and an incredible internal peace. I had an allergy to

something in my house that was causing me to wake up with red dots

under my eyes everyday, and my acupuncturist was able to clear me of

the allergy using N.A.E.T. She also adjusts my supplement dosages

using strength testing. I no longer use a " normal " doctor and rely

exclusively on my acupuncturist for all my health needs. I recomend

acupuncture HIGHLY to anyone who is in need of healing )

Kat