• Acupuncture is the time tested therapy that has been practised in the Far East for thousands of years. The philosophy behind the treatment is that energy lines or meridians circulate around the body. These meridians contain our energy flow or “qi”. It is when this qi is impaired through the body that imbalance and illness occurs. With the insertion of fine needles at various points on the meridian, the energy can be moved or redirected to where it is needed most. In this way the body's balance can be restored and the illness resolved.

  The flow of energy can be disrupted in many ways; emotional upset, physical trauma, poor diet or overwork are all common examples. By examining this underlying cause and how it has affected the body, the most appropriate treatment for the patient can be selected. Treating the patient as an individual is at the core of the acupuncture treatment and it this that helps allow the body to rebalance itself.

  
  Blocked energy can manifest itself in areas that are painful or are particularly cold or hot, or a different colour. These signs can help determine which points are most suitable.Western medicine has different opinions on how acupuncture works but in short, no one is really sure. However trial after trial consistently proves it effectiveness. Acupuncture also includes other techniques such as cupping, moxibustion or acupressure.

Acupuncture Treats Children

• Seven-year-old Sophia visits her doctor with no hesitation, even though what awaits her are needles -- four of them in her legs.

  After abdominal surgery two weeks ago for a urinary tract problem, Sophia is getting an acupuncture treatment to ease pain and improve muscle strength in the problem area.

  "From my experience, I think its helped me a lot and it's not very scary, but at first you're a little nervous when you first start because you're like, ‘is it going to hurt?’" said Sophia.

  Tiny needles are encased in an adhesive tape to look like little band-aids. They are perceived better because they don't give patients the sensation of a long needle.

  Bubbles distract and force Sophia to take big breaths of air. She is remarkably at ease with the prickly procedure, but many children and their parents are terrified by the idea.

  Dr. Anjana Kundu spends a lot of time reassuring patients,"explaining to them what to expect even demonstrating it to them on a parent, on their toys, sometimes even on myself."

  Children's Hospital now uses acupuncture to treat children with all kinds of health problems, not just pain. Its used to help with the nausea related to chemotherapy, asthma, seizures, reflux, even behavioral disorders like ADHD.

  "Because parents have felt that it is difficult to deal with ADHD as it is, the side effects of the conventional medications, families are looking for a good balance,” Dr. Kundu said.

  That may mean a family can manage the disorder with fewer medicines or none at all.

Acupuncture Improves Sperm Qualitys

• NEW YORK Acupuncture may have a role as a treatment for certain types of male infertility, researchers suggest. They report, in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, an improvement in sperm quality following acupuncture, especially the structural integrity of sperm.

  Dr. Jian Pei, from Christian-Lauritzen-Institut in Ulm, Germany, and colleagues assessed the benefits of acupuncture therapy in 28 men with unexplained sperm abnormalities, including malformed and motionless sperm, and low numbers of sperm. A variety of standard acupuncture points throughout the body were used.

  Acupuncture led to a significant increase in the percentage and number of sperm without structural defects, the investigators report.

  Still, certain specific sperm abnormalities, such as immaturity, did not resolve or change with acupuncture, the report indicates.
  

Low-Level Electrostim Lowers Blood Pressure Dramatically

• A specialized acupuncture treatment that uses low levels of electrical stimulation can lower blood pressure dramatically in rats, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

• "This study suggests that acupuncture can be an excellent complement to other medical treatments, especially for those treating the cardiac system," said Dr. John Longhurst of the University of California, Irvine, who led the study.

  "The Western world is waiting for a clear scientific basis for using acupuncture, and we hope that this research ultimately will lead to the integration of ancient healing practices into modern medical treatment."

  Writing in the March issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, Longhurst and colleagues said they inserted acupuncture needles at specific points on the front legs of rats with artificially elevated blood pressure rates.

  This is equivalent to the inside of the forearms, slightly above the wrists in people.

  Acupuncture alone had no effect on blood pressure in the rats, Longhurst's team found. But adding electrical stimulation at low frequencies lowered the blood pressure, although it did not bring it to normal.

  The effects lasted for up to two hours.

  "This type of electroacupuncture is only effective on elevated blood pressure levels, such as those present in hypertension, and the treatment has no impact on standing blood pressure rates," said Longhurst, a cardiologist .

  "Our goal is to help establish a standard of acupuncture treatment that can benefit everyone who has hypertension and other cardiac ailments."

Studies Find Acupuncture Eases Knee and Neck Pain

• Study reveals health benefits of ancient healing art

  Jo Revill, health editor
  Sunday May 1, 2005
  The Observer

  Judith Ritchie slowly eases a fine steel needle into the back of her patient at a point marked out in felt-tip ink. As the needle is gently tapped, Judith explains: 'This point lies over the organ I want to strengthen, her liver. I want to improve the quality of her blood and her yin, which affects the energy balance.'

  Acupuncture relies on a different language and different tools from Western medicine, but however strange it seems at first, this patient, Louise Shelver, is a convert. For years she has had debilitating migraines and pre-menstrual tension.

  'The doctor told me that I could go on the Pill or have anti-depressants,' said Shelver, from Reading, Berkshire, who is treated fortnightly. 'I didn't want that, so I came here and it has totally altered my life.

  'The migraines come maybe every three months now, but they are not so bad and I feel like a different person. My husband has noticed a huge change because I don't get so low. Some days I feel on top of the world.'

  Controversy has raged for years over whether acupuncture has only a placebo effect that makes people feel psychologically and physically better but changes nothing physiologically.

  However, this weekend a new study reveals for the first time that it provokes a specific response in the brain, shedding light on how it might affect the body's pain pathways. This helps to explain why both patients and health professionals trained in Western medicine are increasingly turning to this ancient form of Chinese healing.