1814 N. Aspen St. Lincolnton, NC 28092
Phone (704) 735-9668 Fax:  (704) 735-9775
  we accept visa and mastercard
   
   
   
   

 

 

 

 

 
 

Getting stuck with needles sounds more like torture than a medical treatment. But there's evidence that acupuncture – a standard health practice in asia – helps relieve pain. Should you try it for arthritis?

The Chinese therapy of acupuncture has been used for millennia to treat a range of ailments. Now it looks like Western medicine is getting the point.

Acupuncture has become one of the most popular – and accepted – unconventional therapies within the United States. An estimated 15 million Americans have tried this needle therapy. It's offered in many chronic pain clinics, and is covered by some insurers and managed heath organizations. The World Health Organization recommends it for more than 40 conditions as diverse as asthma and chronic pain. The Food and Drug Administration regulates acupuncture needles as medical devices, the same as it does surgical tools. And in 1997, a National Institutes of Health panel found acupuncture to be an acceptable treatment for many pain conditions, including fibromyalgia and general musculoskeletal pain. And, no, it usually doesn't hurt after an initial "pinch" or sting. So it's no surprise that some rheumatologists are suggesting acupuncture, along with more conventional treatments, to their arthritis patients – and a few even give acupuncture treatments themselves.

WHAT HAPPENS IN AN ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT?

A first acupuncture session typically lasts about an hour and a half, with follow-up sessions taking 30 minutes to an hour. You'll be asked to lie or sit on a padded table, and to remove or loosen just enough clothing to get comfortable and to uncover areas to be treated.

A therapist will take a detailed health history, and a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine will also examine your tongue and take your pulse in several different places.

The treatment can involve from two to 15 hair-thin sterile needles (most acupuncturists today use disposable needles) inserted just under the skin, or deeper.

Acupuncture shouldn't hurt much. You may feel a "pinch" or sting and some warmth or tingling for a few seconds. If pain persists, tell the therapist right away.

The therapist will leave the needles in place for a few minutes to an hour (20 minutes is typical), checking to make sure you are comfortable or to remove or manipulate some needles to stimulate the acupoints. Sometimes tiny amounts of an herb called mugwort (or moxa in China) are burned and held – painlessly – over the stimulation points. After the treatment, you'll be asked to rest quietly for a while and then get up slowly, noticing any changes. You may feel a bit lightheaded from the treatment.

People have widely different responses to acupuncture – even people with the same disease or symptoms. Some feel an immediate and strong effect. It may take several sessions for others to feel anything – and perhaps 20 percent of those who try acupuncture get no effect.