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Traditional vs western medicine
Alternative treatments for pain control essay
Traditional vs western medicine
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There’s always an alternative way to get pain relief without having to constantly rely on pills; its acupunture. Acupuncture wasn’t always known to western medicine as it is today. It was originally practiced by the ancient Chinese. The ancient Chinese believed that acupuncture will balance you the same way that it’ll balance evil and good (Ying and Yang). Although current western veterinary and human medicine isn’t fully informed how acupuncture really works or how it affects the body. This alternative treatment can be very effective in way that some medication cannot affect you. Especially because it causes pain relief and improve most chronic conditions. The best thing about it, is that acupuncture doesn’t have side effects that come with the consumption of many painkillers. …show more content…
The benefits of acupuncture can vary once compared to pain medication. This treatment doesn’t involve any side effects unlike when taking pain killer. When going through acupuncture the process it can be quite unusual compared to other type of medicine because of the instruments used for this treatment such as needles put on the place of the pain. These points are found in areas with high density; this information was all discovered by the ancient Chinese. Pain medication has so much disadvantages to it. If you're someone who's already taking medication due to other conditions and are need of additional medication in behalf of their pain. It can have extreme effects if the different medication is mixed up. If you become immune to the painkillers you’ll have to take a higher dose every time you're in pain. Taking pain medication all the time may take your pain away but too much of it can actually damage your body
Teaser: Feeling lost, heartsick and alone? Balance your energy with acupuncture, to relieve your heartache.
The results of these actions can be relieved pain. “A National Institutes of Health trial has found that acupuncture decreases pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee, when combined with standard medical treatment” (“Acupuncture”). While these results show that some of the pain can be relieved, other studies reveal that the received advantages are nearly nonexistent. Disease therefore cannot be cured. “The benefits of acupuncture are likely nonexistent, or at best are too small to be of any clinical significance.” ( “Why acupuncture is giving sceptists the needle”, David Debyshire) This is a statement made by pharmacologist David Colquhoun and neurologist Steven
Opioids are used as pain relievers and although it does the job, there are adverse side effects. Opioids are frequently used in the medical field, allowing doctors to overprescribe their patients. The substance can be very addicting to the dosage being prescribed to the patient. Doctors are commonly prescribing opioids for patients who have mild, moderate, and severe pain. As the pain becomes more severe for the patient, the doctor is more likely to increase the dosage. The increasing dosages of the narcotics become highly addicting. Opioids should not be prescribed as pain killers, due to their highly addictive chemical composition, the detrimental effects on opioid dependent patients, the body, and on future adolescents. Frequently doctors have become carless which causes an upsurge of opioids being overprescribed.
...this alternative medicine in reinforcing the legitimacy of their work is that there are even discrepancies between them on exactly how to achieve the desired results. “One of the many methodological problems with auricular acupuncture is that there are so many maps of the ear and little agreement exists regarding point location, lacking definite anatomic stud on the ear skin and its somatotopic correspondences” (Gori 16). In order for this alternative method of treatment to become more mainstream and accepted as legitimate, more conclusive evidence and more consistent results across multiple studies, and more consistent application of the acupuncture itself must be achieved. Until that point, auricular acupuncture will continue to help persons who have experienced its benefits, but it will not receive the attention that a more proven treatment would by the masses.
Opioids are prescribed to help people; prescription opioids can be used to treat moderate-to-severe pain and are often prescribed following surgery or injury, or for health conditions such as cancer (Prescription Opioids). When taken as directed, opioids are safe and effective treatment options for relieving debilitating chronic pain (Highsmith). Doctors have a screening protocol they follow before prescribing an opioid. Doctors ask patients about their past to see if any substance abuse was present, to rule out patients with a higher risk of becoming addicted to prescription opioids. Nonetheless, if the medication is used as directed, not only is your risk of addiction minimal, the odds of enjoying a better quality of life will be in your favor (Highsmith).
Acupuncture is a treatment with few, if any, reported side effects. The most common side effect is deep relaxation and a slight, temporary heaviness. In the treatment of stress, the side effect of deep relaxation is often a desired result. In these cases, very few side effects are noticed.
Public Health Reports (Interagency Team at NIMH and NIDA Studies How Acupuncture Works.) (1974-) , Vol. 95, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 1980), pp. 503-504
Since the first report on the success of acupuncture anesthesia in 1970s, much attention has been attracted to the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy worldwide. Analgesia is one of the most important effects of acupuncture. Generally, mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia contain mechanisms of acupuncture anesthesia, but the latter does not represent the entirety of acupuncture analgesia. This is because acupuncture not only treats acute or transient pain, but also chronic or persistent pain resulted from inflammations or other causes. Clinically, the pain usually occurs prior to acupuncture, either needling or moxibustion can be used for treatment. For acupuncture anesthesia, an induction period of acupuncture is required prior to the surgery and only needling or acupressure may be applied. In addition, the surgical pain pertains to the category of acute pain. However, most modern studies on mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia are conducted focusing on the mechanisms of acupuncture anesthesia. In the following discussion, we will first outlook those studies on acupuncture anesthesia, then provide a complementary explanation on mechanisms of clinical acupuncture analgesia, and finally analyze their implications in improving results of clinical analgesia. Primarily, mechanisms of acupuncture anesthesia or analgesia include two closely associated aspects: neural and humoral mechanisms [27].
Mendelson G, Selwood TS, Kranz H, Loh TS, Kidson MA, Scott Ds. (1983). Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Medicine, 741), 49-55.
It gives an equivalent effect of tranquilizers in cases of insomnia, depression, worry, and nervous disorders, and its action is swift and lasting. Studies analyze that acupuncture manipulates the production of and distribution of a great many neurotransmitters and neuromodulators and that in turn, alters the perception of pain. Most patients of acupuncture will need several sessions, may be once a week. Patients feel the effect within 2-3 sessions. If the condition is acute, it is typically resolved within 4 to 8 sessions; otherwise, if the condition is chronic, it may take longer. While acupuncture certainly isn't a cure-all therapy, but gathering evidence suggests that it can be beneficial to a degree. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture treatments for a wide range of medical problems. A study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, finds that a 7-week course of acupuncture helped many patients to ease chronic lower back pain. For lower back pain, the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society, in a joint statement, recommended acupuncture as one nondrug option when standard treatments don't
In conclusion, A Day in Acupuncture was an excellent experience. The author felt energized after her treatment. Recommendations made by Jane have been taken into consideration and some of them such as eating every 2-3 hours, water intake, and applying oil at onset headache are easily achievable. Diet, exercise and meditation are more time consuming, so is still a struggle to do, especially the elimination of caffeine and spicy food from diet. Yes, it is a battle but nevertheless a battle that is worth fighting if the result is no more migraine
Even so, with the help of prescription drugs it does not seem to do the job of relieving pain. In addition, they have also mentioned how costly it can be refilling their prescriptions when needed. As a result, this has made me question if there are any other alternatives that can help patients who must resort to pain
The only anti-inflammatory drug for over a half a century was Aspirin. Unfortunately, Aspirin causes many side effects when taken in large doses such as ulcers and bleeding in the intestines. Experts knew they had to discover another remedy to help pain sufferers. A medicine alternative called Paracetamol was discovered, but did nothing to take away pain. In 1948, Cortisone was discovered. It was considered a miracle until side effects developed from the drug. In 1980, Ibuprofen went over the counter and has become the most well-known anti-inflammatory. Pain relief has come along way through the years. It has not always been as easy as it is now to get rid of pain. Many people had to suffer because of having no solid pain relieving methods.
This oriental medicine is one of the safest ways to be cured of a sickness. It has no major side effects. One might experience a little pain or dizziness during the first few seconds of the first treatment, but this is rare. These side effects only occur if a patient is nervous or scared to be treated (RH). Acupuncture can cure everything Western medicine can, from diseases to back pain, without the dangerous, sometimes life-threatening side effects. Many patients turn to acupuncture as a last resort and find closure in its effectiveness. “My daughter and son have never taken a pill in their lives; acupuncture has cured all of their [health] problems” (Dr. Michael.).
"An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away." Although this saying can be true, it is not only aspirin that can cure the pains of life, but also several other types of analgesics. There are a wide variety of analgesics. More commonly known as painkillers. The narcotic analgesics act on the central nervous system and change the user's perception; they are more often used for severe pain and can make the user develop an addiction. The nonnarcotic analgesics, known as over the counter or OTC, work at the site of the pain. These do not create tolerance or dependence and do not vary the user's perception. OTC's are more commonly used everyday to treat mild pain.