Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a very effective system of medicine which can, in expert hands, yield results which are almost miraculous. A common event in an acupuncturist's clinic is for a patient to come in with a severe pain in his arm or neck. The acupuncturist inserts a needle at the appropriate acupuncture point, twirls it around and within a few seconds the pain is gone!
This example characterizes one of the best known effects of acupuncture, that of relieving pain - its analgesic effect. Acupuncture relieves pain virtually irrespective of its cause. This remarkable property of acupuncture has been exploited to provide analgesia for many types of operations and surgeries. The word "Acupuncture" is derived from two Latin words "acus" which means 'needle' and "punctura" which means 'to penetrate'. The word "acupuncture" therefore means, "to penetrate with a needle". In acupuncture very thin needles, slightly thicker than a human hair, are inserted into acupuncture points. Acupuncture aims to relieve symptoms by curing the disease. It is possible for an acupuncturist to treat the symptoms of various diseases very effectively; for example a pain in the back can be relieved in minutes. However a mere symptomatic treatment, which just removes the symptoms, deprives the acupuncturist of a valuable aid, which would otherwise help him assess the patient's response to treatment. The acupuncturist should treat the fundamental cause of the illness and as the cure progresses the symptoms disappear on their own. Of course it often takes a great deal of skill to find the true cause of some illnesses! It is common knowledge that acupuncture is a remarkably effective method of relieving pain. While I was studying acupuncture, I was approached by the brother of a physician colleague, whose eighty- seven year old physician father, had been confined to bed with severe arthritis and cervical spondylosis for over a year. He had been hospitalized for five months without any discernible improvement. Not having any experience with acupuncture, I was reluctant to try and treat such a complicated case. However my colleague's brother was insistent and requested me to try and cure his father since he had tried every other treatment without any success. I commenced treatment and within a fortnight, the elderly gentleman, who had been unable to sit up or stand without support, was able to walk without assistance. He returned to his clinic in North India where he resumed his practice as a doctor till he passed away peacefully in the fullness of his years, fourteen years after I treated him. This first dramatic experience persuaded me to continue my study of acupuncture. I have found Acupuncture useful for the following ailments: DISEASES OF MUSCLES, BONES AND JOlNTS
DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
DISORDERS OF CHILDREN
RESPIRATORY DISORDERS
CARDIAC DISORDERS
VASCULAR DIS0RDERS
BLOOD DISORDERS
DISORDERS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
ENDOCRINE DIS0RDERS
LIVER AND PANCREATIC DISORDERS
GYNECOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN WOMEN
GENITO-URINARY DISORDERS
SKIN DIS0RDERS & DISEASES
EAR DISORDERS
EYE DISORDERS.
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