Acupuncture in Western medicine

Jemal Khan	Kelly Fisher-Wells

Friday,  February 18, 2005

As more people across the world flock to traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment of various illnesses, more local doctors are incorporating some of those traditions into their health practices. One such popular Eastern treatment finding its way into Western style surgeries is acupuncture.

“Acupuncture has many of the same qualities of chiropractice,” said Dr Jemal Khan, Chiropractor. “It is natural, has no side effects and uses the body’s own natural healing mechanisms to repair injury.”

Dr Khan further explained that acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, which are the body’s own pain killers. It also stimulates the autonomic nervous system and normalises nerve and muscle functions, which are vital to proper healing.

Dr Khan has been using acupuncture in his practice for two and half years and said that it significantly shortens the healing time, especially with sciatic nerve problems and patients that need a lot of deep tissue work. 

General Medical practitioner, Dr Kelly Fisher-Wells, also uses acupuncture in her medical practice. 

“While my conventional medical training has been of great value in dealing with emergencies, infections and trauma, I have always felt that it was not very helpful at finding resolution for the variety of chronic medical conditions such as arthritis, hypertension and chronic pain,” said Dr Fisher-Wells. “I have added other skills such as acupuncture to help come up with treatment options beyond medical therapies.”

Acupuncture is just one part of Chinese medicine, which also includes herbs, bone, joint and muscle manipulation and breathing techniques that affect the mind, body and spirit. 

During acupuncture, thin needles are inserted into various points on the body based on 14 main energy channels called meridians.

Acupuncture needles can be used alone, stimulated manually or connected to an electrical stimulator. Patients typically feel a pinch when the needle is inserted. This pinching frequently changes to a feeling of lightness, warmth or coolness. During treatment, it is common to feel a general relaxation or a higher awareness of the body. Treatment typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes. 

Today, anatomical (medical) acupuncture is taught in 60 percent of medical schools in the United States and most chiropractic colleges. 

Moreover, acupuncture is accepted by several medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the National Institute of Health, the World Health Organization and the American Chiropractic Association.

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