Acupuncture for arthritis

Acupuncture has become one of the most popular and accepted as unconventional therapies. An estimated 15 million people have tried this needle therapy. It is offered in many chronic pain clinics and is covered by some insurers and managed heath organizations too. The World Health Organization recommends it for more than 40 conditions as diverse as asthma and chronic arthritis pain. Many experts have found acupuncture to be an acceptable treatment for many pain conditions, including fibromyalgia and general arthritis pain. It usually does not hurt after an initial pinch or sting. So it is no surprise that some hematologists are suggesting acupuncture, along with more conventional treatments to their arthritis patients and a few even give acupuncture treatments themselves.

How it is performed:

Acupuncture is the use of fine needles inserted into the skin at accurate points. It originated in China thousands of years ago and is based on the theory that an essential life energy called qi which means soul, flows through the body along invisible channels, called meridians. When the flow of qi is blocked or goes out of balance, illness or pain results. Stimulation of particular points along the meridians can accurate the flow of qi to restore or optimize health or to block pain.

How acupressure works for arthritis?

Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the belief that an essential life force called soul or qi flows through the body along channels called meridians. These meridians are like rivers that watering the body and nourish its tissues. Any obstruction along one of the meridians is like a dam that blocks the essential energy flow, creating pain and disease.

The incorporation or insertion of hair-thin needles into specific points along the meridians is thought to help unblock the blocked energy channels. There are more than 2,000 points on the body. Some practitioners use heat, pressure, friction, suction or electrical impulses along with or instead of the usual needles but the goal is always the same that is to stimulate these points. If meridians exist, scientists have found it hard to locate them. They do not correspond to the pathways of the nervous or circulatory system. That does not mean that acupressure does not work. There have been numerous studies of the therapy's effectiveness but many have been limited by poor design or small size of the needle. When it comes to arthritis pain relief, statement from the National Institutes of Health listed several conditions, including osteoarthritis for which acupuncture is very useful when combined with standard medical care.

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