Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine
Benefits
Research has emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, in adult postoperative 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--in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.
An NCCAM-funded study recently showed that acupuncture provides pain relief, improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee, and serves as an effective complement to standard care. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
The World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health lists many conditions for which acupuncture is appropriate. The following is a partial list of conditions.
- Allergies
- Ear,Nose, Throat:
- earache, toothache, sinusitis, rhinitis, laryngitis
- Respiratory Disorders:
- colds and flu, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema
- Gastro-Intestinal Disorders:
- nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, colitis, hemorrhoids, IBS
- Circulatory Disorders:
- hypertention, high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris
- Urogenital Disorders:
- cystitis, stress incontinence, neurogenic bladder, prostatitis, prostatic hypertrophy
- Gynecological Disorders:
- menstrual irregularity, endometriosis, PMS, infertility, menopausal syndrome
- Musculoskeletal Disorders:
- tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, TMJ, sciatica, low back pain, arthritis, carpal-tunnel syndrome, stiff neck, fibromyalgia
- Psycho-emotional and Neurological Disorders:
- depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, post-stroke paralyses, dizziness, tinnitus, stress
- Dermatological Disorders:
- acne, eczema, itch and rash