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Essays against alternative medicine
Essays against alternative medicine
Acupuncture The history of the practice
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In many parts of the world, acupuncture has been utilized as a way to relief and reduce pain. Acupuncture emerges from Traditional Chinese Medicines and has spread throughout the world as an alternative medicine for various conditions ranging from back pain to osteoarthritis. Acupuncture has been a controversy of Western Medicine and is known as a pseudoscience in scientific the world because it not backed up by scientific theory, rather Chinese philosophy and practice. However, despite the controversy, acupuncture has credited numerously for its results, benefits, and low-risk factors in both clinical practice and medical community. According to Christian Nordqvist of Medical News Today, “Acupuncture points are seen by Western practitioners as places where nerves, muscles and connective tissue can be stimulated.” This explains the neuroscience behind acupuncture and how it can be used to control and decrease pain. Furthermore, acupuncture has been used for menopause, immune system, throat, heart, head, back, weight, and sleep related issues. Cancer patients, for instance, accommodating acupuncture …show more content…
Or those that do not respond well to modern medicine seek alternative means of medicine. Acupuncture is an ideal substitute in some cases for traditional modern medicine because it comes with the spiritual and effective component that may physiologically and psychologically fasten the recovery process. Acupuncture improves blood circulation and flows in the body that helps regenerate and renew damaged and old cells and nerves, thereby making the healing process of efficient and effective. The multitude of benefactors associated with acupuncture, such as the low-risk component, reducing pain, boosting the immune system and blood flow, balancing hormones, etc. makes it a practical for those that can use
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
...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.
E. (2013). When will acupuncture become a first-line treatment for acute pain management?. Military Medicine, 178(8), 827-828. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00119
Acupuncture is believed to be highly effective. In a nation-wide survey of acupuncture users, conducted by Dr. Claire M. Cassidy, 91.5% reported "disappearance" or "improvement" of symptoms after their treatment, 84% see their MDs less often, 79% use fewer prescription drugs, and 70% were able to avoid previously recommended surgery (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/AcuStats.htm). Said one man from San Francisco:
After much disappointment about not receiving pain relief, I found began to research alternative health care options. Prescription medication has always been an option for temporary relief of pain, however; I preferred to fix my problems vice masking the symptoms. During one of my chiropractic appointments, I asked if he could recommend an acupuncturist, to my surprises he had had owned an acupuncture practice for 15 years before moving to Virginia Beach. He agreed to give me my first acupuncture treatment, following that we had several long discussions about his practice, schools, care options and many other things. Our conversations brought to light that ALT MED was something that I had the capacity for, would excel at, and would provide me a way to continue to help people post-military retirement. Since acupuncture isn 't mainstream healthcare provided to military personnel I consider myself fortunate to have first-hand experience with it. My experiences with acupuncturists have been extremely positive. After just two treatments, I noticed significant amounts of pain relief. In July, I experienced Japanese acupuncture as a treatment for a whiplash
5 Reasons You Should Be Getting Botox Wrinkles are not unavoidable; they are not a necessary part of aging. Some look to wrinkles as a sign of aged wisdom, but most men and women do not look forward to them. In fact, they are considered an unwelcome and distressful part of the aging process. For many years now, Botox has been available to treat these distasteful telling signs of our years on earth. Today, more people than ever are not only using Botox to treat wrinkles but to prevent them as well.
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
There are many different uses of alternative medicine and that can be used in a variety of situations. Some people may be skeptical of alternative medicine since they are not aware of the facts and statistics. By homeopathy becoming more popular people will not be as skeptical. “Despite the successes of many alternative therapies, the phrase "alternative medicine" has not acquired a completely respectable air. To many, especially doctors trained in conventional medicine, "alternative therapies" seem unscientific and dangerous” (Badertscher). As the author shows that although alternative medicine may seem skeptical to people, there are many reasons to prove that alternative medicine is an overall better solution. Badertscher also explains the many benefits to his view of alternative medicine of seeking to work with the body 's own natural healing processes” (Badertscher). For example, a person may suffer from chronic back pain may decide to go to a chiropractor instead of using medication such as oxycodone. In this Badertscher shows the benefit that using the body’s natural healing does and that it puts the person in control of their
Stop what you are doing, clear your mind, and focus only on your breath. When your thoughts begin to wonder, refocus and bring them back to your breath. This seems like a simple task, but most of us struggle to clear our minds for more than a few moments. Today’s fast-paced and technology driven culture constantly bombards our senses and more importantly, our thoughts. Our thoughts are constantly commandeered by fantasies, anxieties, and worries. We spend most of our time reliving past events and pondering the future. We spend work days feeling resentful, wishing we were anywhere else. We sit through family dinners thinking about all the chores that need to be finished. We worry about attending the class reunion because we aren’t sure what everyone will think. We do all of these things rather than focus on the experiences happening right here and now. Most of us are aware of this behavior, and yet we do it anyway. We spend very little time in the present moment, not for lack of want
The United States of America is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth. We are supposed to celebrate freedom and praise equality. We are all supposed to have the opportunity to live a nice, long, wonderful life.There are quite a few problems that make the above difficult, to say the least.
Acupuncture doesn’t allow people to get ahead of themselves like Victor did; the way of thinking brought about is that of a natural sense. The techniques of the alternative medicine allow people to remember how magnificent and sacred the human body is and realize that it cannot be created through lab work or perfected through medicine. With Western medicine, patients can take up to four or five medications before finding one that suits their needs and most can have many life threatening side effects. With acupuncture, it is one procedure and one attempt to heal a patient with NO major side effects. Acupuncture is a unique ancient art that is backed by thousands of years of Chinese thought and research and has been proven affective for many people and their illnesses.
Practicing mindfulness is something that most people probably have on their daily to-do list, but never getting around to it because they either don’t believe it’ll work or feel too busy with their lives to stop for literally just a minute to breathe. When going into this activity, my to-do is exactly what was in mind. It’s the list that is never completed. So, having this as an actual assignment was exactly what I needed to get a jumpstart on my mindfulness techniques in my daily life.