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
Frozen Shoulder (Periarthritis)
Osteoarthritis of the Hip and Knee
Cervical Spondylosis
Backache (slipped disc), with or without sciatica
Temporomandibular Arthritis
Tennis Elbow, Golfers Elbow
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fibromyositis
Myalgia
Pain in the Chest
Intercostal Neuralgia
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Stenosing Tenosynovitis. (De Quervain's Disease)
Ganglion of the Wrist
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Dupuytren’s Contracture
Trigger Finger, Snap Thumb
Cramp in the Calf Muscles
Achilles Tendinitis
Spur on the Heel
Planter Fasciitis
DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Hemiplegia, Hemiparesis (Strokes and Paralysis)
Parkinsonism
Spastic Paralysis, Chorea, Habit Spasm (Tics)
Meniere’s Disease, Vertigo and Travel Sickness
Headaches
Deafness due to nerve damage
Bell’s Palsy
Trigeminal Neuralgia (Tic Douloureux)
Insomnia
Anxiety
Epilepsy
Bulbar Palsy
Paraplegia, Paraparesis
Poliomyelitis
Neuropraxia of the Lateral Popliteal Nerve
Muscular Dystrophies (Myopathies and Motor Neurone Disease)
Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Hysteria
Anxiety disorders
Schizophrenia
Mental Depression
Impotence
Frigidity
Premature Ejaculation
Drug Addictions
Tobacco addiction. This is very useful to give up smoking.
DISORDERS OF CHILDREN
Infantile Convulsions
Febrile Fits
Behavioral Disorders
Nocturnal Enuresis
Fevers
RESPIRATORY DISORDERS
Common Cold
Sinusitis (both acute and chronic)
Hay Fever (Allergic Rhinitis)
Tonsillitis
Pharyngitis (Sore Threat)
Laryngitis, Tracheitis
Hoarse Voice
Bronchitis
Cough
Whooping Cough
Bronchial Asthma
CARDIAC DISORDERS
Dyspnoea, (out of breath) due to left ventricular failure, cardiac asthma