Chinese Medicine: The Original Functional Medicine
The origins of acupuncture can be traced back over 2000 years...
making it one of the oldest health care systems in the world. Today, Acupuncture supports the treatment of a wide number of conditions.
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How does Acupuncture work?
Once a treatment prescription is formulated, fine, single-use sterile needles are set into specific sites (acupuncture points) along the body’s energy pathways (meridians) to clear energy blockages and promote flow of energy, or Qi, through the body.
The practitioner may also stimulate the Acupuncture points using other methods, including acupressure, electro-acupuncture, manual stimulation, moxibustion, cupping, gua sha and massage, in order to regulate Qi throughout the body.
The Acupuncture Evidence Project
The Acupuncture Evidence Project was published in 2017. It is a review of the evidence supporting the efficacy of acupuncture currently available.
Of the 122 conditions reviewed, evidence of effect was found at various levels for 117 conditions. The findings of the review include:
Conditions with strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture included allergic rhinitis (perennial & seasonal), knee osteoarthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (with anti-emetics), migraine prophylaxis, chronic low back pain, postoperative nausea & vomiting, headache (tension-type and chronic) and postoperative pain.
Conditions with moderate evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture included acute low back pain, acute stroke, neck pain, obesity, anxiety, perimenopausal and postmenopausal insomnia, asthma in adults, post-traumatic stress disorder, constipation, hypertension (with medication), irritable bowel syndrome and menopausal hot flushes.
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Source: Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA)
"There is evidence that acupuncture influences the production of and distribution of a great many neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, and that this in turn alters the perception of pain."