Acupuncture is a medical practice that involves the stimulation of certain points on the body, typically with an extremely thin needle penetrating the skin, to alleviate pain or to help treat various health conditions and diseases.

This technique was developed millennia ago in China, and has since been adopted and modified by Western practitioners and used by centres for Acupuncture North London and across the nation. While today’s treatments are rooted in the ancient ways, they have also evolved to incorporate modern understandings of the body.

While there is still a lack of scientific evidence to back up the claims that acupuncture can cure certain ailments and diseases, many people use this treatment method today as an alternative solution to modern medicine. However, it is advised by most doctors to still use prescribed medical treatments for serious conditions.

Pain relief

Numerous recent studies conducted by scientists in Europe and the United States have found that acupuncture is at least moderately effective in treating pain and nausea. One study in particular found that it was effective for treating chronic pain in a number of different patients.

It is also worth noting that there is a difference in the types of acupuncture that you can choose from. Certain treatments offered by qualified practitioners that are rooted in scientific understanding may be more effective than amateur attempts to mimic the ancient Chinese treatments. It is always recommended to check the credentials of your practitioner as incorrect application of acupuncture could lead to pain and injury in the most severe cases.

Can it treat cancer?

Researchers who have conducted studies to determine if acupuncture is effective at treating depression, anxiety and a variety of cancer and cancer treatment-related symptoms, have come up with mixed results. Some have shown positive results while others show inconsistent or inconclusive results. This has led many to believe that acupuncture may only actually have a placebo effect on the patient’s body rather than a long term impact.

When it comes to specific diseases such as cancer, most doctors outside of the practice of traditional Chinese medicine are not convinced that acupuncture can help. The same goes with diabetes or liver or kidney diseases. Acupuncture should never be prescribed as a cure for cancer on its own but may be offered to help the symptoms that some patients experience with cancer. Today, acupuncture is used to alleviate cancer treatment-induced side effects or cancer-induced symptoms, but never to directly treat cancer.

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture dates back to at least 100 B.C., which is when an organized system of diagnosis and treatment using needles was first described in writing in China. However modern acupuncture based on this same body of information has since been adapted to incorporate western concepts of the body and health systems.

By the 18th century, acupuncture looked much different than the practices described in ancient Chinese texts. And by the early 20th century, aspiring doctors at the Chinese Imperial Medical Academy no longer studied acupuncture. However, during the 1960s, acupuncture and other traditional medical treatments were promoted in China as pragmatic solutions to providing health care to a vast population that was terribly undersupplied with doctors.

Traditional beliefs

In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is linked to the belief that disease is caused by disruptions to the flow of energy, known as Qi. Acupuncture treatments are said to stimulate certain points under the skin to allow the correct flow of this energy through the body to create positive pathways that support the body’s health. Equally, the disruption of Qi flow is said to be the cause of various ailments and diseases.

The Western method

Acupuncture treatments carried out in hospitals and other health care facilities in the West today are not based on the same principles that were established in ancient Eastern texts. Today, practitioners and researchers believe there are other reasons for the positive effects that are experienced through acupuncture. One major idea is that acupuncture works through neurohormonal pathways and nerve stimulation.