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What is the history of Acupuncture? |
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Acupuncture is a component of the health care system of China that can be traced back for at least 2,500 years. The general theory of Acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy flow (Qi) through the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. Acupuncture may correct imbalances of flow at identifiable points close to the skin. The practice of Acupuncture to treat identifiable pathophysiological conditions in Amserican medicine was rare until the visit of President Nixon to China in 1972. Since that time, there has been an explosion of interest in the United States and Europe in the application of the technique of Acupuncture to Western medicine.
Acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical locations on the skin by a variety of techniques. There are a variety of approaches to diagnosis and treatment in American Acupuncture that incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries.The most studied mechanism of stimulation of Acupuncture points employs penetration of the skin by thin, solid, metallic needles, which are manipulated manually or by electrical, or by elecromagnetic stimulation. The majority of comments in this report are based on data that came from such studies. Stimulation of these areas by moxibustion, pressure, heat, and lasers is used in Acupuncture practice, but because of the paucity of studies, these techniques are more difficult to evaluate.
Acupuncture has been used by millions of American patients and performed by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists, and other practitioners for relief or prevention of pain and for a variety of health conditions. After reviewing the existing body of knowledge, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently removed Acupuncture needles from the category of "experimental medical devices" and now regulates them just as it does other devices, such as surgical scalpels and hypodermic syringes, under good manufacturing practices and single-use standards of sterility.
Over the years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded a variety of research projects on Acupuncture, including studies on the mechanisms by which Acupuncture may produce its effects, as well as clinical trials and other studies. There is also a considerable body of international literature on the risks and benefits of Acupuncture, and the World Health Organization lists a variety of medical conditions that may benefit from the use of Acupuncture or moxibustion. Such applications include prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting; treatment of pain and addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, treatment of pulmonary problems such as asthma and bronchitis, and rehabilitation from neurological damage such as that caused by stroke.
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What are the conditions recommended for Acupuncture by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) ? |
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Respiratory Diseases |
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Acute sinusitis |
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Acute rhinitis |
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Common cold |
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Acute tonsillitis |
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Bronchopulmonary Diseases |
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Acute bronchitis |
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Bronchial asthma |
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Eye Disorders |
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Acute conjuctivitis |
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Cataract (without complications) |
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Myopia |
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Central retinitis |
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Disorders of the Mouth Cavity |
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Toothache |
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Pain after tooth extraction |
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Gingivitis |
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Pharyngitis |
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Orthopedic Disorders |
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Periarthritis humeroscapularis |
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Tennis elbow |
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Sciatica |
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Low back pain |
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Rheumatoid arthritis |
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Gastrointestinal Disorders |
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Spasm of the esophagus and cardia |
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Hiccups |
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Gastroptosis |
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Acute and chronic gastritis |
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Gastric hyperacidity |
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Chronic duodenal ulcer |
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Acute and chronic colitis |
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Constipation |
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Diarrhea |
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Paralytic ileus |
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Neurologic Disorders |
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Headache |
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Migraine |
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Trigeminal neuralgia |
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Facial paralysis |
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Paralysis after apoplectic fit |
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Peripheral neuropathy |
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Paralysis caused by poliomyelitis |
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Meniere's syndrome |
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Neurogenic bladder dysfunction |
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Nocturnal enuresis |
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Intercostal neuralgia |
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What Is Known About the Biological Effects of Acupuncture That Helps Us Understand How It Works? |
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Many studies in animals and humans have demonstrated that acupuncture can cause multiple biological responses. These responses can occur locally, i.e., at or close to the site of application, or at a distance, mediated mainly by sensory neurons to many structures within the central nervous system. This can lead to activation of pathways affecting various physiological systems in the brain as well as in the periphery. A focus of attention has been the role of endogenous opioids in acupuncture analgesia. Considerable evidence supports the claim that opioid peptides are released during acupuncture and that the analgesic effects of acupuncture are at least partially explained by their actions. That opioid antagonists such as naloxone reverse the analgesic effects of acupuncture further strengthens this hypothesis. Stimulation by acupuncture may also activate the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, resulting in a broad spectrum of systemic effects. Alteration in the secretion of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and changes in the regulation of blood flow, both centrally and peripherally, have been documented. There is also evidence of alterations in immune functions produced by acupuncture. Which of these and other physiological changes mediate clinical effects is at present unclear..
Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points," the definition and characterization of these points remain controversial. Even more elusive is the scientific basis of some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation of Qi, the meridian system, and other related theories, which are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture.
Some of the biological effects of acupuncture have also been observed when "sham" acupuncture points are stimulated, highlighting the importance of defining appropriate control groups in assessing biological changes purported to be due to acupuncture. Such findings raise questions regarding the specificity of these biological changes. In addition, similar biological alterations, including the release of endogenous opioids and changes in blood pressure, have been observed after painful stimuli, vigorous exercise, and/or relaxation training; it is at present unclear to what extent acupuncture shares similar biological mechanisms.
It should be noted also that for any therapeutic intervention, including acupuncture, the so-called "non-specific" effects account for a substantial proportion of its effectiveness and thus should not be casually discounted. Many factors may profoundly determine therapeutic outcome, including the quality of the relationship between the clinician and the patient, the degree of trust, the expectations of the patient, the compatibility of the backgrounds and belief systems of the clinician and the patient, as well as a myriad of factors that together define the therapeutic milieu.
Although much remains unknown regarding the mechanism(s) that might mediate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture, the panel is encouraged that a number of significant acupuncture-related biological changes can be identified and carefully delineated. Further research in this direction not only is important for elucidating the phenomena associated with acupuncture, but also has the potential for exploring new pathways in human physiology not previously examined in a systematic manner. |
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Do Different Theoretical Bases for Acupuncture Result in Different Treatment Outcomes? |
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Competing theoretical orientations (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, French) currently exist that might predict divergent therapeutic approaches (i.e., the use of different acupuncture points). Research projects should be designed to assess the relative merit of these divergent approaches and to compare these systems with treatment programs using fixed acupuncture points.
In order to fully assess the efficacy of Acupuncture, studies should be designed to examine not only fixed acupuncture points, but also the Eastern medical systems that provide the foundation for acupuncture therapy, including the choice of points. In addition to assessing the effect of acupuncture in context, this would also provide the opportunity to determine whether Eastern medical theories predict more effective acupuncture points.
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Can Further Insight Into the Biological Basis for Acupuncture Be Gained? |
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Mechanisms that provide a Western scientific explanation for some of the effects of acupuncture are beginning to emerge. This is encouraging and may provide novel insights into neural, endocrine, and other physiological processes. Research should be supported to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved, and such research may lead to improvements in treatment.
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What is the relation between electromagnetic therapy & Acupuncture? How Acupuncture treatment is done in MK-082 EM therapy device? |
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Everyone these days has heard of Acupuncture and magnetic therapy. But did you know that Acupuncture and electromagnetic therapy are similar alternative treatment options? We know Acupuncture to be a technique where needles are inserted into the body at various key points. The treatment relies on something called Qi energy (pronounced Chee) that passes through twelve meridians or invisible energy lines within the body. Each energy line links to a specific organ system; the belief is that any imbalance in Qi energy flow leads to a disease or ailment.
The key component of Acupuncture treatment is the insertion of needles at precise locations on the meridian lines. These extremely thin, metallic needles, when set are manually manipulated or connected to an electrical source to provide stimulation. The stimulation is applied to the cell tissue at the treatment point which provides a boost to the Qi energy flow. Sometimes immediate relief can be obtained from a treatment but more commonly multiple treatment sessions are required to achieve the desired result.
Electromagnetic therapy, to be specific, a magnetic energy field created by the flow of an electrical current through a coil of wire is quite similar to Acupuncture with one very advantageous difference. You see, electromagnetic therapy is applied in the same fashion as Acupuncture by targeting treatment at a point along one of the twelve meridians just as is done with Acupuncture. The major difference is that needles are not used to stimulate the cell tissue at the treatment point. If you’re like me and don’t like the thought of multiple needles penetrating your body, then you will find this quite interesting.
While traditional Acupuncture achieves success by stimulating cell tissue to activate the flow of Qi energy by use of needles, electromagnetic therapy can achieve the same success without needles. The key to electromagnetic therapy is to cause an electrical current flow within cell tissue just as Acupuncture does. To achieve this, a moving or rotating magnetic field is applied to a treatment point that induces an electrical current flow within an electrical path, in this case the human cells associated to the targeted treatment point form the electrical path. This stimulates Qi energy and acts in exactly the say way as Acupuncture but without the needles.
If you have been considering Acupuncture as an alternative treatment for health ailments, but are reluctant because of the needle, then this alternative relief is for you. To my knowledge there is one device on the market named MK-082 EM therapist that offers this form of alternative self treatment (Acupuncture).If you are interested in this form of self health treatment please keep in mind that in this device (MK-082 EM Therapy) a magnetic energy field created by the flow of an electrical current & this magnetic field is required to induce the therapeutic current flow. Hence Acupuncture treatment is done by this device.
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If you want to know more about Acupuncture then just click on the following links? |
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Articles by Physicians about Acupuncture? |
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Doctor, What's This Acupuncture all About? |
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Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation at very precise acupuncture points. |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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In November of 1997 the National Institutes of Health convened a conference on acupuncture to determine what answers to questions of diagnosis and treatment we do have from a rigorous scientific standpoint. |
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NCCAM Acupuncture Information and Resource Package |
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Provides general information about acupuncture, summaries of National Institute of Health research findings on Acupuncture, information for the health consumer, a list of additional information resources and a glossary that defines terms. |
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"Acupuncture and Cancer Treatment" |
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Can acupuncture help cancer patients? Is there a place for acupuncture in treating cancer? |
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Acupuncture and Seasonal Allergies |
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Acupuncture is an excellent treatment option for seasonal allergies. |
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AcuBriefs.com |
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Find references and read abstracts on current acupuncture related research being done around the world. |
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Alternative Medicine - Does it work and how? |
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Read an interview with Bruce Pomeranz, PhD who first published that analgesia in acupuncture is mediated by endorphins and that acupuncture accelerates wound healing. (Interviewed in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Nov. 1996, Vol.2, No.6, p.85-91) |
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Incorporating Medical Acupuncture into a Standard Medical Practice |
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Read this article by J. K. Rotchford, M.D. MPH if you are a doctor interested in integrating Medical Acupuncture in your current practice. |
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Acupuncture in Stroke Treatment |
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Acupuncture therapy for stroke-caused conditions such as paralysis, speech and swallowing problems, and depression is commonly used in the Orient. By Russ Erickson, M.D. |
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Needles and Nerves |
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1998 article in Discover Magazine reporting on experience of scientific skeptics regarding acupuncture DISCOVER Vol. 19 No. 9 (September 1998) |
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Bibliography |
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Advantages of Collaborative Acupuncture or Acupressure Regarding the Side Effects of the Following Types of Medications / Therapies by John M. Ackerman, M.D., Diplomate in Psychiatry, December 2005. |
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What's New? |
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News about acupuncture, acupuncture research and other interesting stories. |
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What is physiotherapy? Give a brief history about it. |
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Physical therapy (physiotherapy in many English speaking countries) is a health care profession which provides services to individuals in order to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life. This includes providing services in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.
Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. This encompasses physical, psychological, emotional, and social well being. It involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients/clients, other health professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon, using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists.
[1] Physical therapy is performed by either a physical therapist (PT) or an assistant (PTA) acting under their direction.
[2] PTs utilize an individual's history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan, and when necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies. Electrodiagnostic testing (e.g. electromyograms and nerve conduction velocity testing) may also be of assistance.
[3] Physical therapy has many specialties including cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, neurologic, orthopaedic and pediatrics to name some of the more common areas. PTs practice in many settings, such as outpatient clinics or offices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.
[4]Educational qualifications vary greatly by country. The span of education ranges from some countries having little formal education to others requiring masters or doctoral degrees. |
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History
Physicians like Hippocrates and later Galenus are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 B.C.
[5] [verification needed] The earliest documented origins of actual physical therapy as a professional group date back to Per Henrik Ling “Father of Swedish Gymnastics” who founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG) in 1813 for massage, manipulation, and exercise The Swedish word for physical therapist is “sjukgymnast” = “sick-gymnast.” In 1887, PTs were given official registration by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare. Other countries soon followed. In 1894 four nurses in Great Britain formed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
[6] The School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago in New Zealand in 1913,
[7] and the United States' 1914 Reed College in Portland, Oregon, which graduated "reconstruction aides."
[8] Research catalyzed the physical therapy movement. The first physical therapy research was published in the United States in March 1921 in The PT Review. In the same year, Mary McMillan organized the Physical Therapy Association (now called the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). In 1924, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation promoted the field by touting physical therapy as a treatment for Polio.
[9] Treatment through the 1940s primarily consisted of exercise, massage, and traction. Manipulative procedures to the spine and extremity joints began to be practiced, especially in the British Commonwealth countries, in the early 1950s.
[10] Later that decade, physical therapists started to move beyond hospital based practice, to outpatient orthopedic clinics, public schools, college/universities, geriatric settings (skilled nursing facilities), rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and medical centers.
Specialization for physical therapy in the U.S. occurred in 1974, with the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA being formed for those physical therapists specializing in Orthopaedics. In the same year, the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy was formed,
[12] which has played an important role in advancing manual therapy worldwide ever since.
In Bangladesh physiotherapy is happily accepted by the people. Now a days several institiute & universities are given higher education regarding physiotherapy. |
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These are as follows :
National Orthopedic Hospital 1972.
Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed CRP 1979.
Bangladesh Physiotherapy Association 2001.
Education :
Graduation course :
Under Medical Faculty of Dhaka University :
Bangladesh Health Profession Institute BHPI.
National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopedic Rehabilitation NITOR.
State College Health Science SCHS.
Other University :
Gono Biswabiddalay.
Peoples University of Bangladesh PUB.
Undergraduate Programs :
Diploma in Physiotherapy : Offered by various Paramediac Institutes run by the Govt. |
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Conclusions |
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Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. There have been many studies of its potential usefulness. However, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebo and sham acupuncture groups.
However, promising results have emerged, for example, efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma for which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
Findings from basic research have begun to elucidate the mechanisms of action of acupuncture, including the release of opioids and other peptides in the central nervous system and the periphery and changes in neuroendocrine function. Although much needs to be accomplished, the emergence of plausible mechanisms for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture is encouraging.
The introduction of acupuncture into the choice of treatment modalities readily available to the public is in its early stages. Issues of training, licensure, and reimbursement remain to be clarified. There is sufficient evidence, however, of its potential value to conventional medicine to encourage further studies.
There is sufficient evidence of acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value.
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Thank You. |
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