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Edinburgh Natural Health Centre
Acupuncture
and Safety
Survey on
Acupuncture Safety
How do you
know acupuncture is safe?
What research
is there?
Until recently, not a lot, but some of our patients in 2001 were kind enough
to complete a questionnaire from the Research Director of the Foundation for
Traditional Chinese Medicine in York. Over some months, there
were 34,407 acupuncture treatments on which the questionnaire was based.
A total of 43 significant minor adverse events were
reported, a result consistent with, given a 95% probability, an underlying
serious adverse event rate of between 0 and 1.1 per 10,000 treatments. These
events included severe nausea and fainting, aggravations of existing
symptoms, local pain and bruising at the site of needling
and psychological and emotional reactions.
The 574 practitioners who participated in this survey comprised one in three
members of the British Acupuncture Council. That such a large percentage of
the total membership of a professional association took part is a measure of
acupuncturists' commitment to the safety of their patients.
Compared to existing evidence on the risks associated with non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture is a relatively safe intervention when
practised by professional acupuncturists who are members of the British
Acupuncture Council.
Given that the whole membership delivers between one and a half and two
million treatments a year, this survey provides important evidence on public
health and safety.
(Excerpts from 'Safety in Numbers', published on p 13 of European Journal of
Oriental Medicine, Vol 3, No 6: Winter 2002)
Acupuncture
and Babies (Source: Adelaide University and the Women's and
Children's Hospital in Adelaide)
Acupuncture
excellent for keeping babies healthy!
Not just acupuncture, but acupressure techniques which we
can teach Mum to do regularly: great for helping the baby recover
faster. (But if you aren't sure of yourself, ask
about Homeopathy!)
Acupuncture beats morning sickness
Many of our patients have found how effective acupuncture is for morning
sickness. It is nice to see that Australian researchers have now proved this.
Trials on 600 volunteers, all less than 14 weeks pregnant, found that only
one acupuncture was sometimes enough to help significantly, though usually
they received one twenty minute session at weekly intervals for four weeks.
Acupuncture points were used on the legs, arms and abdomen, and the
acupuncture was done by practitioners trained in
Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kind we do here.
Interestingly, NeiGuan, the name of the point much
favoured in DIY pressure point therapy, on the inside of the forearm, took
around one extra week to work. In other words, it did work, but slower. This
fits in with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, which says that the treatment
must fit the patient: there is no single point that fits everyone, and
designing the treatment for the particular syndrome (as defined in TCM) is
much more effective.
(Source: Adelaide University and the Women's and Children's Hospital in
Adelaide)
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