The Houston Chronicle recently published The You Docs: Why we still like ancient acupuncture By Michael Riizen, M.D.and Mehmet OZ, M.D.. Here are a few excerpts from the article.
“What do Cher, Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams and Titan, the world’s tallest dog, have in common? Like more than 20 million Americans and Canadians, they’re on pins and needles.
It’s been around thousands of years, but it’s backed by an impressive body of 21st-century research. Often, acupuncture can help when drugs can’t be tolerated or when conventional treatments fail.
Here’s what acupuncture clearly has been shown to help so far:
• Peaceful sleep. Just months ago, a Hong Kong University study of 60 insomniacs found that those who got acupuncture fell asleep faster and were more likely to stay that way than those who got a fake version of the treatment.
• Relief from arthritis. British researchers who analyzed five studies of 1,334 people with bum knees have confirmed that acupuncture relieves debilitating joint pain related to arthritis.
• Squelching pain. In a landmark German study of 1,162 back-pain sufferers, twice as many got relief from acupuncture as from conventional fixes such as drugs or physical therapy. Acupuncture also has been proven at least as effective as pain drugs not only for treating migraines, but for preventing them, too.
• Reducing treatment side effects. Dozens of studies show that acupuncture helps quell pain, nausea, fatigue, hot flashes and dry mouth in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation.
• How can one therapy do so much? Eastern and Western medical philosophies merge when a licensed acupuncturist inserts those sterile, disposable needles into your skin. Eastern practitioners say the needles remove blockages so that the body’s energy, called qi, flows freely. Western science shows that acupuncture boosts levels of pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory chemicals called endorphins in the brain and bloodstream. And that changes how your nerve impulses flow.“
To read the entire article click here
To read more of Dr. Oz’s thoughts about acupuncture click here
