What Does Acupuncture Treat?

Many people ask me this question, and even patients that I have helped with one part of their body are sometimes surprised at what else acupuncture could treat, help, or alleviate.  The World Health Organization has a very comprehensive list of diseases and disorders that can be treated with acupuncture.  This group is made up of medical doctors from all over the world, not just practitioners of Oriental medicine.  The list is extensive, so today I will just give you some important examples.  If you’d like to view the entire list, visit my website, www.myveroquest.com.

With criteria set forth by regular Western medical practitioners, the first category listed by the W.H.O. is titled, “Diseases, symptoms, or conditions for which acupuncture has been proven to be an effective treatment (through controlled trials).”  The list includes: adverse reactions to chemotherapy, allergic rhinitis (including hay fever), depression, dysentery, headache, hypertension, knee and low back pain, morning sickness, nausea, pain (including dental issues), rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, sprain, and tennis elbow.  In these areas, the East meets the West, literally, and the patient gets the biggest benefit.

What should you expect at an acupuncture physician's office?  Though it varies, most practitioners spend time asking a lot of questions that you may not feel is related to your problem, but the acupuncture physician knows can help pinpoint the problem area.  With my patients, I have been known to spend a whole hour talking to them and reviewing their paperwork before I give them a treatment.  Your degree of comfort with needles may make you anxious, but there are very thin one-time-use needles that are usually painless and other modalities that are very successful, too.  Children can be treated with colorpuncture, which uses colored lights on the acupuncture points.  This modality has been researched in depth in Germany and is accepted here in the United States. 

Once needles are placed, they stay in for 20–30 minutes.  I stay in the room with my patients, and also use other modalities, which help relaxation and further fortify the treatment, though other practitioners may leave you alone.  Once the needles are removed, you can leave.  Depending on the treatment protocol, you may need repeated treatments to alleviate the issue.  This is very individualized, and based on how acute the situation is and how quickly your body responds to the treatment.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at DrKate@MyVeroQuest.com