Can Acupuncture Help You?

Page 14, July 1998
Submitted
By Dr. Y. C. Chan (11125 Rockville Pike G-4, Rockville, MD 20852 U.S.A.)

Many people imagine acupuncture to be like a series of hypodermic injections, but there is little similarity. Acupuncture is performed with flexible, stainless steel needles nearly as fine as a strand of hair. When they are inserted rapidly and deftly by an experienced practitioner they cause little or no sensation, and the patient usually feels nothing more
than a momentary prick.

Usually, one the needles have been inserted, they cause little or no discomfort. Acupuncture, when performed correctly, produces no unpleasant after-effects and the patient may leave the Clinic immediately after the treatment and resume a normal schedule.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Performed by a highly trained and experienced practitioner, acupuncture is one of the safest medical treatments available today. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment the does not introduce chemicals into the body. Acupuncture itself causes no allergic reaction, and may be especially valuable for people who cannot tolerate the medication prescribed for them.

Some concern has been expressed about the possibility of transmitting disease by all-purpose needles. However, acupuncturists have been using disposable needles since 1983, and the qualified acupuncturist carefully follows aseptic procedures.

Another concern is that acupuncture may mask the symptoms of a severe, undiagnosed illness, thus delaying the patient from obtaining necessary therapy. In order to be certain that acupuncture is an appropriate treatment, an acupuncturist should always insist that the patient obtain a western medicine diagnosis.

How Many Treatments are Necessary?

Acupuncture is not a "miracle cure," and media reports of instant response to acupuncture is seriously misleading. Although sudden and dramatic improvement occurs in many cases, miracles are the exception and not the rule. For reasons that are not well understood, therapeutic acupuncture (as opposed to the from of acupuncture used as analgesia during surgery) takes effect over a period of time. Some patients may obtain a degree of relief almost immediately, but most patients, especially those with chronic disorders, must take six to ten treatments in order to notice significant improvement.

Two or even three treatments may be give in quick succession at the beginning of a series, with the frequency of later treatments given at intervals of some months or even years. Depending on the individual case, this may delay or even prevent return of discomfort.

Does Insurance Cover Acupuncture?

This is very little uniformity among insurance companies with regard to coverage of acupuncture. Recently, some companies that formerly excluded acupuncture have begun to reimburse patients for all or part of the cost of treatment. Since acupuncture is increasingly being recognized as an effective, relatively inexpensive therapy, which often offers an alternative to costly drugs or surgery, the number or companies covering acupuncture may be expected to grow. The Internal Revenue Service allows taxpayers to deduct the cost of acupuncture treatment as a medical expense.

Who Is A Qualified Acupuncture?

Regulation acupuncture varies widely throughout the United States. In general, an acupuncturist must complete an extensive formal training program in acupuncture or Oriental medicine or must serve a lengthy, state-approved apprenticeship. He or she must be able to show evidence of his or her training, preferably official certification from a state government. At this time, NCCA (National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturist), plus state license should be minimum qualifications.

After long study and practice, the master acupuncturist is able to select without hesitation from many hundreds of acupuncture points. He or she knows how to precisely locate and then combine the points without resorting to mechanical formulas in order to treat many of the hundreds of disorders believed to be responsive to acupuncture is art as well as science, and the practitioner is guided by intuition and experience as much as by formal rules. The qualified practitioner, whether he or she has practiced for many years or a few, above all must have a strong feeling of responsibility toward his or her patients and a profound sensitivity to their reactions.

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