For centuries, Eastern medicinal practices have touted the benefits to the human body of acupuncture. For many people, the thought of having such a procedure done on their own bodies is crazy, especially considering the amount of criticism that is given to the practice’s legitimacy as well that the amount of negative press the procedure gets in the popular media. Many people don’t know what you can expect from the acupuncture procedure as well as the side effects and limits.
Procedures of Chinese acupuncture are actually well refined, as they have been practiced for many years. Even in today’s medically advanced world, the practice has been determined as a safe, effective treatment for some people with disorders that have been a burden for years. Here is an outline of what can be expected from the acupuncture procedure as well as limits and side effects:
Acupuncture starts with the use of sterile needles, today made almost exclusively of stainless steel. The needles sterilization is done with ethylene oxide, which can be used on the needles without damaging their construction. The needles are coated on the top with a wire that allows for a better grip by the acupuncturist when placing them about the body.
Using an acupuncturing reference model that likely includes a diagram of needle insertion locations on the human body based on the type of treatment, the acupuncturist will start the procedure by placing needles in the patient’s skin. A particular treatment may require a cluster of a couple dozen needles in a few places on the body, while a full body treatment may require the placing of hundreds of needles.
Some treatments in acupuncture require the heating of the needles once placed in the skin through a process called moxibustion. The acupuncturist will utilize a burning of herbs to heat the needles that are placed in the skin. Most often, the herbs are placed on the end of the needle protruding from the patient and burned once the needle is inserted. The heat helps provide some therapy to the tissue that the needle is in contact with inside of the body.
Acupuncture is considered to be an invasive treatment and includes some risks. Minor bleeding from the site of the procedure is the main risk of the treatment - this appears in approximately 3 of every 100 patients. Most commonly, the bleeding ceases within a minute of the needle’s removal from the skin, however, this differs depending on the patient.
There are also some less common, but more serious, risks involved, such as hematoma, or bruising below the skin at the treatment site, dizziness arising from fear of needles or anxiety, very rare instances of nerve injury, brain damage, lung or kidney damage from mistakenly placed needles, and the slight chance of miscarriage in very specific treatment.
Acupuncture does benefit the body in many ways despite the risks. Common tension headaches, tension in lower back pains, nausea, vomiting, and some lower symptomatic forms of fibromyalgia can all be relieved using acupuncture. Acupuncture emerges as a reputable and reliable treatment option when considering both the understood and perceived benefits, such as stress and tension relief. As a patient, you can benefit greatly by understanding the acupuncture procedure as well as the side effects and limits involved.