Along the channels/meridians are specific points that have specific properties. Acupuncture points have individual properties that can effect particular changes in the physiology. And there are about 365 acupuncture points. Interestingly, electronmicroscope study of these points revealed no significant structure save for the fact that there is a small condensation of tissue in the area and that most of them are near peripheral nerve endings. This condensed tissue appears to have no western medicine function.
Frequently Asked Questions: (by Dr. Ed Concepcion)
What is
Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient
Chinese healing method that uses very fine needles. These are
inserted on points of the body to trigger the flow of energy and
establish harmony or balance.
The diagnosis involves your complete history and physical
examination. You will also undergo the Traditional Chinese
Medicine method of tongue and pulse diagnoses. The doctor will
ask several questions about your lifestyle, diet, personality
and how you feel about certain events in your life. The approach
is personal and holistic so that the proper points can be
selected.
Is the treatment
painful?
Other than a mild pinprick sensation or electrical jolt upon
insertion of the needle, the treatment should be relatively
painless. The desired feeling after insertion of the needle
should be heavy, dull or numb. This sensation sometimes persists
even after the session.
Possible mechanisms of
acupuncture treatment
The medical journals cite theories and possible mechanisms of
action. The first theory cited was the gate control theory. This
theory suggests the presence of gate valves on the spinal cord
that closes shut with acupuncture treatment; pricking the skin
blocks the pain nerve impulses at the spinal cord level.
However, this fails to explain why toothache is controlled by
acupuncture. The spine goes up to the neck only. So, a follow-up
theory states that there must be a gate also at the thalamus (up
in the brain); hence, the multiple gate control theory.
Eventually, both these theories were debunked. They then
discovered the endorphins and other natural pain relieving
hormones that get elevated with acupuncture. However, this also
cannot explain why migraine disappears for long periods of time
and, many times, resolved after acupuncture treatment.
(Endorphins don’t last long in the blood). And, how about other
non-pain conditions that improve with acupuncture like stroke?
Of course, there are those who ascribe placebo. But this, too,
cannot explain the consistent success of treatment in conditions
like shingles, arthritis and sinusitis; placebo succeeds just
60% of the time.
Maybe, a Dr. Looney has the right answer. He wrote a letter to a
medical journal suggesting that the nerves on the skin
(peripheral nerves) have a special connection to the nerves that
control the internal organs (autonomic nerves). When the
peripheral nerves are needled, something happens to the
autonomic nerves. He explained further that the peripheral
nerves and the autonomic nerves arise from the same layer of the
embryo; it is highly possible that the connection between the
two types of nerves was never totally cut with the growth of the
embryo. However, no such structure has been found so far. And, I
know of no attempt to search for such a structure.
From the Oriental viewpoint, acupuncture re-establishes harmony
in the flow of energy or Qi (chi) and blood in the body. It
corrects the lack, excess or imbalance of energy (Qi) which
causes illness. Another reason could be your body’s inability to
protect itself from aversive environmental conditions.
Acupuncture will promote the return of equilibrium -- restoring
the balance of yin and yang (the two opposing forces in the
cosmos) -- in your body and increase resistance against these
aversive elements.
Acupuncture is widely accepted in many countries. In the
Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Healthcare (PITAHC), a government agency, has listed
acupuncture as one of its major thrusts in health care delivery.
Acupuncture has been recognized by the Philippine government as
a legitimate form of medical therapy as far back as 1960s. And
in USA, in a landmark statement in 1999, the National Institutes
of Health, University of Maryland, has listed a number of
illnesses as treatable by acupuncture. Cited were addiction,
stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow,
fibromyalgia (general muscle pains), low back pains, carpal
tunnel syndrome, and asthma.
Does
acupuncture cure or is it just a stopgap
measure?
It does both. A correct
diagnosis has to be made first and an appropriate treatment plan
is geared towards restoring equilibrium. Diagnosis is based on a
series of steps -- interview, tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis
and palpation. It looks at the human being as a mini-universe, a
micro-cosmos. And the astute doctor must capture an accurate
overall picture.
Many times, the problems are merely quality of life problems.
These are conditions western medicine doctors often dismiss as
“acceptable” or, worse, "psychosomatic" -- conditions which you
just have to live with. But for the TCM doctor these are a
concern and curable. Acupuncture works very well for serious
conditions, too. These include toxic side effects of
chemotherapy and cobalt treatment, many types of severe pain
conditions, stroke, etc.
How long do
treatments last?
The needles are kept in place for 20 minutes. A course takes
from one to 20 sessions. And, many times, especially for
degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, complications of
diabetes mellitus and stroke, the patient has to take several
courses. It is advisable to continue treatment after the
condition has been resolved for the purpose of maintenance and
prevention. On the average, the course takes 2 to 3 months of
weekly sessions but years of treatment is not unusual especially
for the serious chronic conditions.
How about
the danger of masking a serious condition?
What if the pain is actually a condition that requires immediate
lifesaving surgery? What if the malignant tumor is still curable
by immediate removal? What if it all ended up with treatment
failure when all that was needed was a pill that was just there
in the drugstore?
These are very legitimate issues that confront me everyday. Many
times, the answers are clear-cut. Bacterial infections must be
treated with antibiotics. Life-threatening conditions, life
support and most emergencies belong to western medicine. But
there are gray areas. Here, I use the best of both worlds. I
review all the existing laboratory and diagnostic work-up. If
necessary, I get additional laboratory examination and refer for
further diagnostic work-up. I keep up-to-date with the latest in
the field. And I maintain a database of all the pertinent
medical documents the patient has. But nothing beats frequent
regular dialogue with the patient and/or his/her family
regarding options, as well as keeping an effective network with
other medical specialties. For when one deals with the illness
of an individual, one deals with the innermost hopes and fears.
And this is such a huge responsibility that I alone may not be
able to bear at times. I seek help from other experts who may be
in a better position to help my patient.
What are Channels/Meridians?
Unique to Traditional
Chinese Medicine is the concept of channels or meridians.
These are pathways where blood and qi flow. They are precise
in location but they do not have a structural analogue.
Clinic Address
-
Centro Maginhawa
97 Maginhawa Street
Teachers' Village,
(Near UP Diliman)
Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel: 9217649, 4348490
