Acupuncture utilizes the stimulation of specific points along lines connecting various organs, as defined by the principles of acupuncture, which represent channels carrying the vital energy (“qi”) throughout the body. These points, known as acupoints, are important for the normal functioning of the body. Modern science has confirmed ancient wisdom by discovering that many of these acupoints overlay nerve bundles, offering an explanation of the mechanism by which acupuncture achieves pain relief. An acupuncturist can stimulate acupoints in a number of ways. Traditionally, they will insert a thin metal needle into an acupoint and manipulate it manually. Acupoints can also be stimulated externally and noninvasively by applying heat from the burning of moxa (dried mugwort).
Acupuncture and Acupoints in the United States
One of the oldest therapies employed by traditional Chinese medicine, the practice of acupuncture dates back more than 3,000 years. However, acupuncture only began gaining widespread attention in the United States in 1971. James Reston, Richard Nixon’s press secretary, had an emergency appendectomy while abroad in China. After his surgery, James had his pain largely managed through the administration of acupuncture. When he returned to the United States, he wrote an article for the New York Times detailing his experience. This propelled acupuncture onto the national stage and further increased the interest and growth of research on its potential use. Researchers began investigating why certain acupoints – and combinations of acupoints – resulted in such profound results.
In the 1990s, the United States approved acupuncture as a medical therapy for pain management based on extensive positive evidence. Through the utilization of various patient-specific acupoint prescriptions, significant and lasting levels of both analgesia and pain relief were able to be achieved.
In 2017, the FDA recommended that doctors consider utilizing acupuncture as a tool in their pain management arsenals to help curb the prescription and potential abuse of opioids. The American College of Physicians even suggested that physicians treat lower back pain utilizing nonpharmacological therapies, acupuncture being one of them, before thinking about opioids.
Dr. Michael Kolotinsky, M.Ac
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