Acupuncture and moxibustion

Acupuncture and moxibustion

Acupuncture originated in China 3000 years ago and soon spread to Japan, the Korean peninsula and elsewhere in Asia. Acupuncture is widely used in health care systems in many countries; it is officially recognized by governments and well received by the general public.

Acupuncture and moxibustion could still serve as a valuable alternative treatment for many diseases or conditions for which modern conventional treatments are unsuccessful. It is also valuable in situations where the patient is frightened of the potential risks or adverse effects of modern conventional treatments. In fact, in some developed countries, the diseases for which patients seek help from acupuncturists tend to be beyond the scope of orthodox medicine.

Generally speaking, acupuncture treatment is safe and no side effects, if it is performed properly by a well-trained practitioner. Unlike many drugs, it is non-toxic, and adverse reactions are minimal. This is probably one of the chief reasons why acupuncture is so popular in the treatment of chronic pain in many countries.

World Health Organization(WHO) conducted a symposium on acupuncture created a list of 255 diseases that might benefit from acupuncture, 43 through controlled trials to be an effective treatment. The following some diseases are mainly:

Pain management

Insomnia

Stroke

Tennis elbow

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

Biliary colic

Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

Dysentery, acute bacillary

Dysmenorrhoea, primary

Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)

Hypertension, essential

Hypotension, primary

Morning sickness

Nausea and vomiting

Periarthritis of shoulder

Rheumatoid arthritis

Sciatica

Sprain

Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)

Hypo-ovarianism gastrokinetic disturbance

Gouty arthritis