Over the years, Western medicine has progressed significantly and proven effective in treating numerous illnesses such as cancer. In Western medicine, conventional cancer treatments generally include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and surgery. However, conventional cancer treatments can induce side effects such as chronic pain, vomiting, nausea, fatigue, dry mouth and many others, which are often manageable by medications. But when these side effects fail to respond to drug treatments, acupuncture can be an attractive option as a complementary therapy to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine that has been practiced and evolved over thousands of years. Originating from the Taoism philosophy more than 2500 years ago, acupuncture is based on the theory of “qi”, a vital energy that flows through the body to maintain health.8 When qi is blocked or unbalanced, illness occurs. Acupuncturists believe that acupuncture can …show more content…
40 years ago;10 In 1971, New York Times reporter James Reston had an emergency appendectomy in Beijing, China under acupuncture anaesthesia. After his surgery, he received acupuncture and it significantly reduced his post surgical abdominal pain.11 Upon his return to the U.S., he published his experience of acupuncture and it sparked interests amongst U.S. physicians on acupuncture's analgesia properties. Since then, continued research has been conducted to learn more about the benefits of acupuncture in pain management and various conditions. In 1972, Major General Walter R. Tkach, former President Nixon's physician, observed the practice of acupuncture while on a trip in China with Nixon. When he returned to the U.S., he published the article “I watched Acupuncture Work” in the July 1972 issue of Readers Digest.12 It was not until then that acupuncture had begun to gain
All things found in the universe are thought of as a balance of the two opposite but complementary forces yin and yang. Organs in our body can be predominantly yin or yang but the body still manages to maintain the overall balance because of the total sum of yin and yang in the body. Traditional Chinese medicine states that diseases are caused by an imbalance of yin and yang. When trying to restore the balance and the person’s health, practitioners look for the nature of the imbalance and use acupuncture as a method to correct the imbalance.“However, despite more than 3,0000 studies into acupuncture since the 1970s, there is no evidence that any force qi ( yin and yang) exists or that it flows along invisible energy lines.” ( “Why acupuncture is giving sceptists the needle”, David Derbyshire)Therefore the whole system acupuncture is based on can’t be reliable.
Auricular acupuncture has a variety of uses, some with more documented success than others. Auricular acupuncture is an alternative medicine with some documented success in treating anxiety, insomnia, smoking, drug addictions and obesity. Not all studies have generated conclusive positive results and more research is needed to accurately evaluate the efficacy of the procedure in treating multiple ailments. Acupuncture is an ancient medicinal practice that originated in China. The name comes from the Latin acus, or “needle”, and from pungere, or “prick,” and involves the insertion of superfine needles into specific points on the body. Once inserted, the needles can be manipulated to stimulate the body for healing effects. Auricular acupuncture is acupuncture performed on the ear. The treatment of auricular acupuncture is preformed on the ear using stimulators such as different types of needles, staple-punctures, probes, magnetic beads, fingers, or harmless electrical impulses. The most common is method is inserting needles. For auricular acupuncture, there are different type of needles that can be used such as a regular half or whole inch needle, press needles, and interdermal needles. Press and interdermal needles are pressed into an acupuncture point and tape is used to keep them in place, as well as give constant stimulation. The ear is thought to contain an innumerable amount of important and potentially therapeutic acupuncture points. This is why it is believed that by using these types of stimulators on acupuncture points in the ear, problems and/or dysfunctions will be revealed throughout the body. (Suen 135)
Acupuncture is a treatment with few, if any, reported side effects. The most common side effect is deep relaxation and a slight, temporary heaviness. In the treatment of stress, the side effect of deep relaxation is often a desired result. In these cases, very few side effects are noticed.
Public Health Reports (Interagency Team at NIMH and NIDA Studies How Acupuncture Works.) (1974-) , Vol. 95, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 1980), pp. 503-504
Effect upon arrival of qi, literally meaning pain is eliminated instantly when needling sensations are acquired after needle-insertion, is a familiar clinical fact when acupuncture is used for kinds of pain. Of course, such quick responses are not resulted from changes of humoral factors. There were similar successes duri...
Mendelson G, Selwood TS, Kranz H, Loh TS, Kidson MA, Scott Ds. (1983). Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Medicine, 741), 49-55.
Nowadays, complementary alternative medicine is very popular in the United States. It is widely used by adults and children. National health statistic reports done in 2007 shows that 38.3% of adults and 11.8% of children use some form of alternative medicine (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). But why is this happening? Why is it becoming so popular? Why are more people turning to it? Many times, this is because conventional medicine has not work and they want to try an alternative. That is the case of the author of this paper.
Acupuncture originated in China and it has been practice for more than 2000 years now. This modality is considered the main treatment within the traditional Chinese medicine. Its main concept is the conviction that the body possesses hidden channels identified as meridians. These channels allows for the flow of energy which is considered a vital life force through all the body. Acupuncture modality believes that when this energy becomes obstructed or imbalanced, sickness and symptoms can build up. It is only when this energy becomes unblocked by stimulating focal points in the meridians that health can be achieved again (Cherry & Jacob, 2010).
These alternative treatments include acupuncture, meditation, and therapy among many others.There is growing evidence that the desire for alternative medicine is expanding because people undergoing procedures in today’s health care system has had unmet needs as well as feelings of being uncared for (Acari & Flanagan, 2015). Alternative medicine is able to provide patients with treatments that provide relief for hard to cure problems such as back pain, neck pain, and arthritis. Many of these alternative treatments have been shown to be successful for various problems. The use of complimentary and alternative medicine as well as the open ended communication that holistic nursing provides is gaining popularity from patients who are fed up with traditional care and hospital
Complementary and alternative therapies are relatively new and essential options in health care, they help to increase the quality of life of patients and provide them with numerous possibilities to ensure growth of their health, beyond current medicine. Recently, these therapies, such as massage therapy and acupuncture, have become more prevalent in research. Consequently, their substitution with standard medicine in the healthcare system has been supported by the literature. The literature that supports these methods has explored why complementary therapies are needed, the different and distinct features of each therapy, and they also examine the education and knowledge those implementing the services must have. To accurately analyze if complementary and alternative therapies are valuable to the health care system, this paper will aim to learn why they are becoming predominant and why nurses should use these therapies’ to assist in improving the health of individuals. To determine the main attributes of these therapies, a variety of resources that extensively discuss complementary and alternative therapies will be examined and the paper will also examine the benefits and weaknesses they have on improving health. Lastly, this paper will aim to determine if these services should be implemented by nurses as alternative options for their patients, as nurses should have substantial knowledge pertaining to implementing these therapies.
Tacon, Anna. “Meditation as a Complementary Therapy in Cancer,” Family and Community Health. Vol. 26, Issue 1. pp63-73, January – March, 2003. Web. 18 May 2015.
Keep Yourself Energetic By Enrolling In Equipment Teacher Training NYC Summary: Pilates is a renowned exercise system which enhances not only the muscle strength but also the mental and physical conditions. Because of its immense popularity, there are many people who are planning to get Pilates equipment certification NYC and avail infinite benefits of Pilates. Never let your workout session sag just because you feel it has become too monotonous and repetitious. Now take it to the new level by just including the Pilates equipment which will assist you reach your fitness motives.
Acupuncture doesn’t allow people to get ahead of themselves like Victor did; the way of thinking brought about is that of a natural sense. The techniques of the alternative medicine allow people to remember how magnificent and sacred the human body is and realize that it cannot be created through lab work or perfected through medicine. With Western medicine, patients can take up to four or five medications before finding one that suits their needs and most can have many life threatening side effects. With acupuncture, it is one procedure and one attempt to heal a patient with NO major side effects. Acupuncture is a unique ancient art that is backed by thousands of years of Chinese thought and research and has been proven affective for many people and their illnesses.
Cupping is a widely practiced form of therapy in which blood flow is manipulated on a patch of skin through suctioning from a cup shaped object placed on the surface of the skin. There are generally two categories of cupping therapy: dry cupping and wet cupping (What is Cupping Therapy n.d). All three variants follow the basic principle of redirecting blood flow. The main benefit from this sort of therapy is thought to be detoxifying the blood and therefore the body, allowing healing to take place thereafter. Supporters believe the suction placed on the skin increases blood flow to the area in need of relief.
Modern medicine is finally starting to accommodate traditional medicine, though traditional medicine is still overlooked or regarded as a primitive form of treatment, providing nothing but placebo effects. According to the American National Cancer Institute, modern medicine is: