Questions and Answers About Acupuncture
Posted on 3/22/2001
St. Alexius First Hospital in North Dakota to Hire Acupuncturist
“Acupuncture is not widely known or used in North Dakota, but patients have had excellent outcomes,” explains Karla Sayler, director of the Center for Integrated Medicine at St. Alexius. “This treatment is gaining acceptance nationwide. The National Institutes of Health recently released a consensus that further validates the utilization, as well as the effectiveness, of acupuncture.”
One of four Americans uses some type of complementary and alternative medicine such as massage therapy, music therapy, aromatherapy, chiropractic care or acupuncture. In 1999, St. Alexius conducted research to determine the utilization of these treatments in our community. The results showed that people living in Bismarck-Mandan used most of these therapies more than the national average. For instance, chiropractic care and massage therapy were used by 11 percent of Americans nationwide, while 37 percent of residents in Bismarck-Mandan used chiropractic care and 22 percent used massage therapy. Of those who responded to this local survey, 75 percent felt alternative therapies were “somewhat effective” or “very effective.” “More health systems are integrating alternative and complementary medicine into their service offerings,” Sayler says. “St. Alexius has been researching this field for two years. We feel consumers are asking health systems to offer alternative medicine and expect the same quality of care as any other services hospitals provide.”
The following is an interview with Robert Gietzen, certified acupuncturiest affiliated with St. Alexius Medical Center.
What is acupuncture?
The National Institutes of Health define acupuncture as an ancient Chinese health practice that involves puncturing the skin with hair-thin needles at particular locations, called acupuncture points, on the patient’s body. This stimulates the production of certain chemicals in the brain. These chemical changes help to reduce pain or release other chemicals, such as hormones, that influence the body’s self-regulating systems.
Acupuncture had a dramatic increase in popularity during President Nixon’s trip to China when a staff member became ill and had a miraculous recovery after being treated with acupuncture. Now more than one million Americans each year receive acupuncture.
How does it work?
The ancient Chinese discovered electrical impulses passed through the body in pathways called meridians. Each pathway is associated with a specific body system and organ. If the energy within the pathways is disrupted, disease occurs. The purpose of acupuncture is to restore this disrupted energy flow and promote balance and healing in the body.
What does acupuncture treat?
One of the main reasons Americans seek acupuncture treatment is to assist in the treatment of chronic problems, such as severe osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, post-surgical pain, tennis elbow, and many other chronic conditions.
Acupuncture increases flexibility and restores blood flow, which in turn decreases pain. Patients treated for arthritic knees and tennis elbow respond very quickly. Those with severe osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis don’t necessarily respond as quickly; however, acupuncture can be very effective over time. Typically, arthritic conditions can not be alleviated. However, with acupuncture, patients generally become more flexible, allowing them a better quality of life.
Acupuncture also complements conventional treatment. Treating post-surgical pain with a combination of drugs and acupuncture is just one example. Acupuncture may also reduce the need for conventional pain-killing medications. Since patients may need a lesser dosage, the risk of side effects from those drugs is reduced.