SEVEN THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT FOR

When most people think about acupuncture, they normally think about the treatment of bad backs or sports injuries. Certainly, many of the patients who go to see acupuncturists are looking for help with issues such as these, and NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) recommends acupuncture as a front-line treatment for chronic non-specific lower back pain.

However, since the publication of recent guidelines, NICE now recommends acupuncture as a treatment for stress headaches and migraines (while also warning that over-the-counter pain-killing medication can cause recurring chronic headaches). Acupuncture, as practised by members of the British Acupuncture Council, is based upon traditional Chinese medicine. This is a wide-ranging medical system that can be used in the treatment of many, varied conditions.

To illustrate the diversity of conditions that acupuncturists may address, here is a list of some of the more surprising things people may ask for help with.

BAD BREATH

An acupuncturist would see the most common cause of this as too much heat in the digestive system, which may result from too much hot and spicy food in the diet or excessive alcohol intake. Other accompanying symptoms might include bleeding gums, nausea, frontal headaches, red cheeks, or insatiable hunger.

BEING STARTLED

In China, courage is said to reside in the liver and, in particular, the gall bladder, so if you want to call somebody a coward, you say they have a small gall bladder. One of the most common everyday manifestations of this is the tendency to jump when somebody unexpectedly walks round a corner or taps us on the shoulder from behind. To some extent, this is defined by constitution, but the deficiency can be addressed with acupuncture and diet.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME

In the west, we tend to think of energy as all about doing things, but it also requires energy to not do things. Think of the person next to you in the station waiting room who simply cannot stay still or stop fidgeting. One of the more unpleasant manifestations of this is being unable to find relaxation or stillness for your legs while lying in bed at night.

INSULTING PEOPLE

One of the original classical Chinese source materials from the second century BC, the Nei Jing, recommends an acupuncture point on the wrist for overcoming the constant urge to insult people!

HAEMMORHOIDS

The treatment of this provides a great illustration of how acupuncture points at one end of the body may have a profound effect on the opposite end. One of the most commonly used acupuncture points for this is at the very top of the head.

SIGHING

This most commonly results from frustration or suppressed anger or else maybe worry/sadness. These emotions are all natural and, one could argue, an essential aspect of existence, but when they begin to predominate or take over, they can cause blockages. As we sigh, our energy momentarily forces a way through the blockage before it forms again.

TINNITUS

Tinnitus is one of those unpleasant conditions that conventional medicine struggles to understand or treat. Sufferers can endure either a high-pitched or low-pitched noise in their ears, which can greatly affect their everyday lives.