Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture therapy has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for more than two thousand years. Modern clinical research has confirmed the impressive therapeutic effect of acupuncture on numerous human ailments, such as controlling pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, the biological mechanisms of acupuncture are still under debate. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the mechanism of acupuncture therapy is explained by a meridian model. According to this model, acupuncture is believed to treat the diseased organs by modulating two conditions known as Yin and Yang, which represent all the opposite principles that people find in the universe, both inside and outside the human body. Yin and Yang complement each other, and are subjected to changes between each other. The balance of Yin and Yang is thought to be maintained by Qi, an energy substance flowing constantly through the meridian, a network connecting all the organs of the body. The illness, according to this theory, is the temporary dominance of one principle over the other, owing to the blockade of the Qi from flowing through the meridian under certain circumstance. The axiom of “No stagnation, No pain” in TCM summarizes this concept. Thus, the goal of acupuncture treatment is to restore the balance of Yin and Yang conditions in the diseased organ(s). This theory has been considered to be useful to guide this ancient therapy, such as carrying out diagnosis, deciding on the principle, and selecting the acupoints.

An informative and provocative text, this book describes the current status of knowledge and challenges scientists to better define acupuncture therapy. The first section covers the scientific basis and mechanism of acupuncture, particularly in relation to the cardiovascular system. The second section is devoted to clinical case studies, illustrating that scientific knowledge can be integrated with traditional concepts in Chinese medicine to provide effective treatments. It is a useful reference guide for advanced students and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, as well as scientists conducting physiological and pharmacological research.

This book contains four integrated sections: 1) Acupuncture Research; 2) New Developments in Acupuncture; 3) Acupuncture Therapy for Clinical Conditions and 4) Assessment and Accessibility in Acupuncture Therapy. Section 1 provides updates on acupuncture research. From acupuncture effects in modulation of immune system to the role of nitric oxide in acupuncture mechanisms, chapters in this section offer readers the newest trends in acupuncture research. Section 2 summarizes new developments in acupuncture. The included chapters discuss new tools and methods in acupuncture such as laser acupuncture, sham needles, and new technologies. Section 3 discusses acupuncture therapy for clinical conditions. The chapters in this section provide comprehensive and critical views of acupuncture therapy and its application in common clinical practice. Section 4 takes a new look at the issues related to assessment and accessibility in acupuncture therapy. These issues are central to developing new standards for outcome assessment and policies that will increase the accessibility to acupuncture therapy.

Here are safe and effective drug-free methods of pain control for use by those in the healing professions. Includes treatment for chemical dependency.

This book explains how acupuncture can help in preventing as well as treating a host of physical, emotional and psychological problems, including several that modern medicines has failed to treat. It describes how acupuncture works, its techniques and how the use of modern scientific methods has made it amongst the best and most effective drugless techniques.

Cancer is one of the leading killers in the world and the incidence is increasing, but most cancer patients and cancer survivors suffer much from the disease and its conventional treatments’ side effects. In the past, clinical data showed that some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) possessed anticancer abilities, but some clinicians and scientists have queried about the scientific validity of CAM due to the lack of scientific evidence. There is great demand in narrowing the knowledge gap to explore the scientific and evidence-based knowledge of CAM in the anticancer field. With this aim, an unparalleled undertaking of a book series is launched to structurally consolidate this area. Although acupuncture and moxibustion have been practiced for millennia, they have come under scientific investigation only recently. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been used clinically to treat cancer-related symptoms (e.g. cancer pain, anxiety, depression and insomnia), manage treatment-induced side effects (e.g. hot flashes, nausea and vomiting) and enhance immunity (e.g. blood cell count, lymphocyte and natural killer cell activity). This is the first book manages to provide comprehensive and updated scientific evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion intervention for cancer care. Laboratory and animal studies have uncovered the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer therapy. Promising results of most clinical trials show the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in cancer management. This book consists of fifteen chapters which address a range of important aspects that will impact on the application of acupuncture and moxibustion. An overview of the safety and side effects of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer care are also covered. In addition, the integration of acupuncture with Western medicine in cancer treatment and recent clinical trials are included as well. Opinion leaders around the world have teamed up to pursue a thorough and up-to-date review of the area, this volume will contribute great to the cancer, clinical and academic community by providing evidence-based information on the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion as an anticancer therapy.

The authors, who are among Japan's foremost teachers and clinicians, have compiled a work that provides a broad, accurate, and detailed foundation for students learning acupuncture or for clinicians who wish to improve their clinical results. This is an important and pivotal contribution to the acculturation of classical acupuncture in the West.

Acupuncture in Manual Therapy is a comprehensive overview of manual therapy interventions combined with acupuncture management of musculoskeletal disorders covering all major joints of the body. The book is intended to offer physiotherapists and students of acupuncture a clinical reasoning model, whilst supporting suggested interventions with the relevant evidence base in order to alleviate pain, restore function and facilitate rehabilitation within musculoskeletal management. It places an emphasis on the neurophysiological processes of pain management stressing the importance of using the correct intervention for the relevant presenting pain mechanism. Each chapter discusses suggested manual intervention, acupuncture evidence and physiological processes underpinning this combined approach to musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction including meridian acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, electroacupuncture, tens and trigger point acupuncture as a means of addressing the varying pain patterns presented within musculoskeletal rehabilitation. This book provides knowledge from distinctive and prominent contributors from the world of manual therapy and acupuncture whilst this expertise is further supported by the provision of student case studies to offer support and enhance learning.