Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Discussion
Recommended. Had a course of acupuncture for a re-occurring hamstring spasm.
Certainly did the trick.
I asked the therapist how it worked and she reckoned the act of putting needles into the
skin triggered bloodflow to the area to combat these 'foreign bodies'(i.e. the needles).
Don't know about that but I'd definitely have acupuncture again.
Certainly did the trick.
I asked the therapist how it worked and she reckoned the act of putting needles into the
skin triggered bloodflow to the area to combat these 'foreign bodies'(i.e. the needles).
Don't know about that but I'd definitely have acupuncture again.
Had bad ab pain, worked too hard in the Gym, just about to go to the doc, but popped into my local Chinese Medicine place to get some herbal medicine. Got talked into having acupuncture, not a great fan of needles at the best of times 
After one 30 min session it was a lot better, did a course of acupuncture and the pain went away. I'm a convert now
After one 30 min session it was a lot better, did a course of acupuncture and the pain went away. I'm a convert now
There is a healing clinic near my house ironically. It deals with everything from injury to stress to addiction using Chinese medicinal practices. Seems to work from the few people I spoke to, dont know though, it could be more mind over matter, but then who cares so long it works, right?
To be honest, I have had a knee injury for many years and have still not gone to acpunture, which the main receptionist assures me would greatly reduce my pain. I may give it a shot one day, but I am a procrastinator, so that one day could be years from now LOL as it has been going this way for, well, years now as it is.
I believe the increase in blood flow is a viable and believable conclusion. One such more pronounced surgery for arthritis sufferers is to have very tiny holes drilled in and around the bones thought to have arthritis, thuis increasing blood flow and minerals to the bones, and in return eradicating or drastically reducing the pain.
To be honest, I have had a knee injury for many years and have still not gone to acpunture, which the main receptionist assures me would greatly reduce my pain. I may give it a shot one day, but I am a procrastinator, so that one day could be years from now LOL as it has been going this way for, well, years now as it is.
I believe the increase in blood flow is a viable and believable conclusion. One such more pronounced surgery for arthritis sufferers is to have very tiny holes drilled in and around the bones thought to have arthritis, thuis increasing blood flow and minerals to the bones, and in return eradicating or drastically reducing the pain.
Acupuncture is good for some physical pains, and you can get it prescribed on the NHS if your doctor is cool like that.
But I'd be a lot more suspicious of the 'herbal' stuff; the Chinese are not above a bit of mystical bulls
ttery (at someone's expense), and most Chinese will try Western medicine first, if they can get it (something to do with us actually testing that they work!).
Still, if what you really need is some mysticism and a placebo, I'm sure they've got it by the jar!
But I'd be a lot more suspicious of the 'herbal' stuff; the Chinese are not above a bit of mystical bulls
ttery (at someone's expense), and most Chinese will try Western medicine first, if they can get it (something to do with us actually testing that they work!). Still, if what you really need is some mysticism and a placebo, I'm sure they've got it by the jar!
Acupunture seems to be one of those things which appear to work for some folk and not for others. I think if it works for you then you are best not to ask how it is working because the usual answer involves blockages of things like energy channels and stuff which can be a bit wishy-washy pseudo medical babble speak. Sometimes it's maybe best not to know what it's supposed to be doing and just accept that it might be doing something. Personally I am a bit of a major skeptic, however my mum, who had smoked for 30 years, stopped smoking after having one session of accupuncture needles in her ear lobe. Before the treatment the accupuncturist said it may work but couldn't explain how without refering to good energy and bad energy. It is likely that it did play a part in her stopping, whether by physical or psychological means, which was great, but the explanation of how it worked didn't really give me too much confidence that anyone really knew what was going on.
Total and utter unproven placebo-effect based crap.
In fact has been disproven more than a few times in the case of acupuncture...
Just because something is 'ancient wisdom' doesn't mean that it's right.
Waste your money on it if you like...
In fact has been disproven more than a few times in the case of acupuncture...
Just because something is 'ancient wisdom' doesn't mean that it's right.
Waste your money on it if you like...
Edited by Bee_Jay on Friday 2nd January 20:02
So the world *is* flat then?
My sister-in-law (recently retired) worked in the "Pain Clinic" at a NHS teaching hospital in Cambridge.
Acupuncture was on the list of treatments, and was used with a great deal of success - where the pain was caused by muscle spasm or inflammation.
It does work.
The rest of Chinese (herbal) Medicine needs to be viewed with caution. There will be some herbal remedies that do work, just like there will be some that do nothing at all, and some that are downright dangerous.
Don't forget, in our own history we used mercury to treat ailments, and arsenic to whiten hair and bread flour!
My sister-in-law (recently retired) worked in the "Pain Clinic" at a NHS teaching hospital in Cambridge.
Acupuncture was on the list of treatments, and was used with a great deal of success - where the pain was caused by muscle spasm or inflammation.
It does work.
The rest of Chinese (herbal) Medicine needs to be viewed with caution. There will be some herbal remedies that do work, just like there will be some that do nothing at all, and some that are downright dangerous.
Don't forget, in our own history we used mercury to treat ailments, and arsenic to whiten hair and bread flour!
Please have a read of this: http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/08-10-08.html#feat...
If anyone can show clear, scientific double-blind proof that it works then I am willing, as ever, to be proven wrong and change my mind.
If anyone can show clear, scientific double-blind proof that it works then I am willing, as ever, to be proven wrong and change my mind.
About 10 years ago some git crashed into my car head on. When he saw I was in a bad state he got out and ran off. My injuries were the normal neck and back plus a few broken teeth. I had 3 years of physio and osteopaths which did not help and I would have muscle spasms which would literally bring me to tears. I was then referred for acupuncture and within 6 sessions id got 80% of my range of movement back and have had real no pain since. I have to be realistic and maybe I was on the road to getting better anyway but my pain simply vanished.
I really poo pood the idea of acupuncture and when I saw the referral said get the fu£$ outta her but it worked and I am eternally gratefull as it changed my life.
I really poo pood the idea of acupuncture and when I saw the referral said get the fu£$ outta her but it worked and I am eternally gratefull as it changed my life.
Edited by Russell B on Friday 2nd January 20:21
I had acupuncture for my tennis elbow, it worked a treat. Against some views on here it did hurt a bit sometimes, but generally the improvement was more after these sessions.
I did the usual at first and just rested my arm but decided something needed to be done after four months of no improvement.
After a couple of sessions it was much improved, and now my arm is as good as new (this was done late summer this year).
I did the usual at first and just rested my arm but decided something needed to be done after four months of no improvement.
After a couple of sessions it was much improved, and now my arm is as good as new (this was done late summer this year).
A major problem acupuncture has is that the successes are, like the one with my mum above, all fairly anecdotal. I am a physio working in private practice and professional sports medicine and, since patients give me tons of their money in good faith, I need to be able to point to a body of evidence to back up any treatment plan I put forward. I actually undertook an acupuncture course in order to practice it, but after the course I couldn't really find a form of words to justify *to myself* how I would explain to any patient that I was going to take their money and try something I didn't really believe in, but might do something even though I couldn't explain what or how it may or may not work rather than a conventional treatment based on fairly sound scientific double blind randomised control trials. I think a lot of folk end up at acupuncture as a last resort and there is a psychology at work when you are at the end of the line of things which can help you.
There waqs a study performed that investigated the ancient chinese art of accupuncture against the hocus pocus madey up art of randomly sticking tiny little needles in your body. The success rate for both treatments was the same. Either sticking needles in flesh cures all ills or accupuncture is purely placebo, whadya think?
Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
NWTony said:
There waqs a study performed that investigated the ancient chinese art of accupuncture against the hocus pocus madey up art of randomly sticking tiny little needles in your body. The success rate for both treatments was the same. Either sticking needles in flesh cures all ills or accupuncture is purely placebo, whadya think?
Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
Also, it is not an ancient chinese art...Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
I tried it for my back - damaged a bone.
Sadly it didnt work for me, but I've heard that it works better on some rather than others.
Also - I HATE needles, but the acupuncture ones didnt really bother me as I couldnt see them when i was lay on my front and couldnt really feel them either.
hope it works for you
Sadly it didnt work for me, but I've heard that it works better on some rather than others.
Also - I HATE needles, but the acupuncture ones didnt really bother me as I couldnt see them when i was lay on my front and couldnt really feel them either.
hope it works for you
Bee_Jay said:
NWTony said:
There waqs a study performed that investigated the ancient chinese art of accupuncture against the hocus pocus madey up art of randomly sticking tiny little needles in your body. The success rate for both treatments was the same. Either sticking needles in flesh cures all ills or accupuncture is purely placebo, whadya think?
Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
Also, it is not an ancient chinese art...Incidentally does anyone know the success rate for accupuncture treating virus' or broken bones?
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff