How the Acupuncture Work

How the acupuncture work. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment of the Chinese nation or by inserting a needle into the body. The treatment is claimed to reduce pain, treat infertility, and improve general health.

Today, acupuncture has been 'exported' to many countries around the world. In European countries like Britain, almost half of training medical practitioners to be able to practice acupuncture in addressing this kehalian apsien. In fact, many different variations of the already developed and taught all over the world.

Scientifically proven acupuncture to treat pain and nausea after surgery. Despite the pain, some people still consider it a placebo effect or a suggestion only.

Dr. Leena Mathew is a doctor of anesthesiology and pain expert at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center. She uses acupuncture as additional treatment for pain in female patients who require or prefer acupuncture.

He and Dr. Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), explained in The Atlantic on Friday (09/30/2010) regarding the mechanism of acupuncture.

The pain arises through stimulation of the small nerve fibers in the skin, then moving through the spinal cord and up into the brain. There is a larger nerve fibers that transmit signals to function barrier preventing the movement of pain fibers and pain signals.

When painful stimuli coming, the activity of the small nerve fibers nerve fibers that great master, so despite the pain barrier is released, the pain still felt.

What about acupuncture work for pain?

Theoretically, the needle was placed to stimulate large nerve fibers, so that the small pain nerve signals to be blocked. Mathew said that the same logic underlying the theory of why rub elbows after a bump can help reduce pain, because it stimulates the body's pain inhibitory nerves to soothe the pain.

Another possibility is endorphins, the hormone that makes people 'feel good'. Mathew said that the chemicals that make people feel happy is released when responding to various phenomena such as distress, injury, long-distance running, eating chocolate, as well as morphine has the ability for the body and brain.

Research that tracks levels of these molecules suggests that acupuncture increases blood levels of beta-endorphin levels that can reduce pain in patients. When patients are given anti-morphine, the effects of acupuncture reduced.

There is another theory that explains why acupuncture works well proven to treat nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. The skin is connected to the organs in the body through a reflex called viscero-skin reflex.

"If you stimulate the skin with acupuncture needles. You can change the pattern of blood flow to the stomach and the stomach, this could explain why the effect on nausea and vomiting," explains Mathew.

Acupuncture also has an effect on the body's stress response system, known as the axis hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA). The study reported that acupuncture patients have high levels of stress and lower anxiety after receiving acupuncture treatment, at least for the short term.

Lastly, there are theories that explain why acupuncture can work in certain circumstances. The touch in humans may be many associated with the healing power of acupuncture.

"This is a touch therapy. In Western medicine, doctors tend to keep their distance and did not want to touch the patient," said Matthew.

Just as a mother is able to calm children physically or just through his presence, to touch others with good intentions may also be able to reduce pain. This effect should be done by eliminating the fear and anxiety in advance that will affect people's perception of pain.

Briggs mentioned that some of the effects of acupuncture can also be seen in the acupuncture 'fake' such as acupuncture using a toothpick, which sometimes also have an effect similar to acupuncture.

"This tells us that the most important part of acupuncture is a ritual involved, namely the pressure, the practitioner is assured, and patient expectations." In other words, the procedure of acupuncture itself is a factor that needs to be taken into account to see the effect, "explains Briggs.

Mathews added acupuncture is an ancient science that has lasted for 3,000 years. "We know acupuncture work effective, but we do not know why. This method is very difficult to translate into the language of Western medicine," he said.

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