The term Acupuncture defines a discipline that uses needles to stimulate certain points. Despite the literal meaning of this term, the application of needles is often accompanied by moxibustion (heat released from a dry plant of the genus Artemisia which is placed in contact with the skin) and can also involve other types of points stimulation (electro-acupuncture, laser acupuncture, auricular therapy).
Acupuncture originated in China in the VIII century B.C., soon spread to Japan, Korea and the rest of the Asia, in which this discipline is currently present in the national health systems and is widely used by the population. Although it was introduced into Europe by the mid-XVII century, Acupuncture has suffered for a long time the skepticism of Western Medicine, because of the need by the latter of scientific evidence that tried their effectiveness in the presence of controlled clinical conditions.
According to the report “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials”, drafted in 2003 by the World Health Organization, numerous controlled clinical trials provide incontrovertible scientific evidence of the effectiveness of Acupuncture in the treatment of numerous conditions. It was for example demonstrated how Acupuncture is able to relieve chronic pain of 55-85%, a very favorable result when compared with 70% of positive results obtained by administering a powerful drug such as morphine, or with just 30 -35% of successes with the placebo effect.
The analgesic effects of acupuncture have been studied since the late ’70s, revealing its influence on neural and humoral factors. The most recent scientific studies have shown the following actions by acupuncture:
· Analgesia
· Body’s protection from infection
· Regulation of various physiological functions (blood pressure, gastric secretion, intestinal motility)
The first two actions can be traced to the third, that is the regulation of various physiological activities. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture are therefore due to the regulatory effect on various systems by this technique, which can therefore be considered a non-specific therapy with a wide spectrum of indications (particularly effective in the case of functional disorders).
Despite being very often used as symptomatic treatment (for example of pain) this discipline acts in many cases on one of the pathogenetic link of the pathology.
The regulatory action of acupuncture appears to be bi-directional: the main factor that influences the direction of action is represented by the patient condition. Given the fact that its therapeutic actions are due to the mobilization of the body’s own potential, acupuncture has no side effect (contrary to drug therapies).
