Acupuncture

[Anawee]

"Acupuncture is an alternative medicine methodology originating in ancient China that treats patients by manipulating thin, solid needles that have been inserted into acupuncture points in the skin. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, stimulating these points can correct imbalances in the flow of Gi through channels known as meridians.^[/url] Scientific research has not found any histological or psyhological correlates for qi, meridians and acupuncture points and some contemporary practitioners needle the body without using the traditional theoretical framework."

 

So, my question whould be if anyone has tried this tretman , and if he/she can say couple words about it. Also, I read somewhere that acupuncture can help wit weight problems, smoking, deppresion, and anxiety. Any acknowledgment about that?

[StringJunky]

I tried it about a dozen times ten years ago as part of drug rehabilitation. Needles were inserted in various points on my ear for forty minutes. The effect for the first eight or nine times was similar to having a low dose of opiate or tranquilliser which lasted maybe half an hour after the needles were removed. My thoughts at the time why it does this was a combination of my consciously relaxed state and the needles triggering endorphins to be released. After the eighth or ninth time the needles felt very hot in my ears and hurt so I stopped. I surmised that my body could no longer be tricked into producing endorphins at the sites of the insertions so the needles hurt.

 

I think there is a very strong placebo effect in this method but it 'works' if you want it to. I haven't studied acupuncture in depth so can't say anything more.

[ecoli]

pure placebo effect: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110324104147.htm

 

There is no evidence for chi lines, and other such things.

[Phi for All]

Many years ago, an acquaintance of mine was studying acupuncture and I volunteered to be a test subject. He put one of the thin 3/4" needles in the skin between my left thumb and forefinger, and another just above my left elbow. After about 30 seconds, he took another needle and poked my left forearm, asking me if I felt any pain. I couldn't, and he explained that he'd used chi lines to make that part of my arm numb, claiming this technique could take the place of anesthetics. I was impressed at the time, but a few days later I realized that I hadn't felt pain when the first two needles went in either, so it really wasn't evidence that my arm had been made numb.

 

One thing he said did stick with me though, and I've always wondered about it. He claimed the chi lines connected seemingly unrelated parts of the body, and that's why we sometimes feel a twinge, say, on our right thigh, when we scratch our left ear. Through personal experimentation, I've found that this phantom connection isn't consistent. I can't make the twinge happen in the same place every time I pinch my earlobe. But I have noticed that this does happen quite often, scratching one place and feeling an acute sensation in another place. It usually starts with a touch, pinch or scratch someplace on my head or neck, and creates the sensation on my arms or legs. I know it isn't chi lines but I've often wondered what this connection was from my head to my limbs. Is it just the mind or is their some physiological connection? I'm fully prepared to believe it's just my imagination.

[fresh]

I think there is a very strong placebo effect in this method but it 'works' if you want it to. I haven't studied acupuncture in depth so can't say anything more.

 

in my opinion acupuncture is not a cure-all therapy. of course no cure-all in the world.

i dont think it can work on every patient.

i was told to find a doctor who has been practicing acupuncture for at least 25 years, in case any unexpected accident happens on me.

acupunturists need extensive experience.