Acupuncture

An ancient Oriental medical treatment, consisting of inserting long, slender needles into specific points on the body in order to cure disease or relieve pain. Silver, gold, or steel needles, up to 10 inches long, are inserted into one or more of 365 parts of the body, and are twirled rapidly. The points of insertion have been precisely mapped, and Chinese practitioners use anatomical charts showing these points.

Acupuncture has become well know to Americans in recent years, since the People’s Republic of China and the United States entered into normal relations. Acupuncture has begun to be used on an experimental basis by specialists in a few American clinics.

American physicians who have visited Chinese hospitals and observed the use of acupuncture there have reported that it is used successfully in place of anesthesia, even in major surgery.

A satisfactory explanation for the efficacy of acupuncture has not been offered by either Chinese or Western physicians. However, the anesthetic possibilities of acupuncture are being explored. While some observers have contended that hypnotic suggestion is the basis of acupuncture, proponents of the procedure deny this, maintaining that its effects have a purely physiological foundation.

In Chinese practice, a patient is given a sedative and a qualified anesthesiologist stands by, ready to use conventional methods if acupuncture does not work. If it is successful, the patient remains awake during surgery. The surgical procedures themselves, as distinguished from use of neddles as an anesthetic, are identical to those of Western hospitals. Observers have reported that surgical patient read, drink fruit juice, or chat with the doctors and nurses during an operation.

Authorities on pain believe that acupuncture somehow sends signals to the brain that compete with or eliminate pain signals that ordinarily would accompany surgery. They also suspect that the psychological components of successful
acupuncture is strong, and that the procedure works most effectively with person who are generally friendly, cooperative, helpful, and strong believers in the principles of a religious or political system. Possibly a degree of self-hypnosis in controlling pain is significant.

Although acupuncture has reccieved public attention primarily because of its use as an anesthetic, Chinese physician report that it is effective in the treatment of a variety of ailments, including headache, arthritis, heart diseases, and chest disorders