Complimentary and alternative medicines (CAM) are a group of practices and products not customarily connected with public health and medical practitioners (XXXX). CAM have been used historically for many years pre-dating modern medicines (XXXX). Used over many disciplines of health for both wellness and illness CAM is becoming increasingly popular in midwifery, due to women seeking a more natural approach to modern medicine across the childbearing continuum (XXXX). This essay will explore the use of acupuncture throughout the childbearing continuum, specifically, fertility, morning sickness, pain relief during labour and general postnatal health. Hypothesised pharmacodynamics, potential risks, as well as the role and responsibilities of …show more content…
The first documented form of acupuncture in diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions is from approximately 100BCE in China, however methods of acupuncture have been found in historical documents from all over south East Asia. Over subsequent centuries acupuncture continued to develop alongside various herbal, massage, diet and moxibustion methods (XXXX). The first published work was compiled during the Ming Dynasty called “The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Mixibustion” (1368-1644). This compendium forms the basis of modern acupuncture and the 365 needlepoints are the same used today …show more content…
Chinese medicine and acupuncture focus on a number of factors affecting fertility from the side of the woman; menstrual cycle, quality and quantity of ova, health of uterine lining and viability of the egg after conception for the first 12-13 weeks until the placenta is seen as developed and functional (XXXX). Acupuncture aims to target each of these factors individually for example, the first goal is to regulate the menstrual cycle (XXXX). It should be noted that men can also be referred for CAM, specifically acupuncture to support sperm production and health to support fertility (XXXX). With regards to Australian In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) practices, acupuncture is becoming increasingly popular with major IVF obstetricians and midwives supporting and referring women to have acupuncture in conjunction with their more western IVF
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)
The third explanation is the ancient Chinese explanation that the acupuncture points are doors to energy channels and that by inserting the needles into these points, one can open and close these doors. This brings about energy circulation and harbors energy balance, resulting in improved health (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/Works.htm).
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help those who want children but struggle with infertility. The process consists of extracting eggs from a woman and collecting a man’s sperm sample then manually combining them in a lab dish. Once the embryo(s) are created they are transferred to a woman’s uterus. IVF is commonly used in woman who cannot conceive on their own due to different reasonings. “These include but are not limited to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, woman with ovulation disorders, genetic disorders, woman who have had their fallopian tubes removed and unexplained infertility.” (American Pregnancy)
Public Health Reports (Interagency Team at NIMH and NIDA Studies How Acupuncture Works.) (1974-) , Vol. 95, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 1980), pp. 503-504
Rice, A. D., Patterson, K., Wakefield, L. B., Reed, E. D., Breder, K. P., Wurn, B. F., & Wurn, L. J. (2015). Ten-year Retrospective Study on the Efficacy of a Manual Physical Therapy to Treat Female Infertility. Alternative Therapies In Health And Medicine, 21(3), 36-44.
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.
...lementary and Alternative Medicine. (2012). Acupunture: An Introduction. Retrieved on July 12, 2014 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction.htm
Acupuncture is a realm of veterinary medicine that has been around since 900 B.C., originating from China (Robinson, 2007, p. 259). Acupuncture is a way to relieve pain by inserting very small, thin needles into acupoints to promote healing and well-being through neurological energy. The use of acupuncture is a type of treatment that many do not understand or have much information about. It can be used for animals and humans to relieve pain and help aid healing of diseases or infections. Acupuncture is beneficial to animals, especially equine. Performance horses need to perform at top condition and acupuncture is a useful way of relieving pain or stress on the body. It can possibly be the future of healing small pains or even aiding larger
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.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.1 million married couples experience troubles with infertility. Infertility is defined as trying for over a year and not becoming pregnant for women under 35 and trying for six months for women over 35. The cause of the infertility is a male factor one third of the instances, female another third, ten percent of the cause is a combination of both male and female factors and the remaining twenty percent is not apparent. In vitro fertilization is a process that tries to eliminate the problems inherent in the mother and father. It involves an egg is fer...
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.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is slowly becoming better known all over the world. CAM encompasses various types of therapies, such as yoga, reflexology, chiropractic therapy, herbal therapy, ayurveda, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc. The evidenced-based research, recognition of disconnect between patients and also the positive and negative aspects of CAM modalities are reasons behind the increased attention it has gained in medicals schools all over the United States. (Hart, 2009, p. 287).