Uses of Acupuncture: Safe and useful treatment for many different disorders

Alternative medicine

Uses of Acupuncture

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Uses of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is practiced as an adjunt therapy along with the other conventional treatments, though it does not reconcile with Western medicine, scientific trials around the world have found that acupuncture is a safe and useful treatment for many different disorders.

Conditions associated with pain are most of the times effectively treated by this therapy, some of these conditions include:

Prolonged neck and back pain

Headache [stress related]

Postoperative dental pain

Other conditions wherein some amount of relief is obtained are:

Respiratory—asthma, bronchitis, hay fever and common cold

Digestive disorders—gastritis, ulcer, colitis, diarrhea and constipation

Emotional—anxiety and depression

Gynaecological—heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods, menopausal symptoms etc.

Musculoskeletal—back pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Neurological—headache, migraine, pain and paralysis

Vascular—high blood pressure and varicose veins

Temperomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders

Postoperative, chemotherapy and pregnancy related nausea and vomiting

Weight reduction, stress management, tiredness, travel sickness and cessation of smoking. ^1–3

Next page: Adverse effects of acupuncture

Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: March 16, 2012

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References

Pearl D, Schrollinger E. Acupuncture: its use in medicine. West J Med. 1999; 171(3): 176–180.
Linde K, Vickers A, Hondras M, ter Riet G, Thormaehlen J, Berman B., Melchart D. Systematic reviews of complementary therapies—an annotated bibliography. Part 1: Acupuncture. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2001; 1: 3.
Kaptchuk TJ. Acupuncture: Theory, efficacy, and practice. Ann Intern Med. 2002; 136(5): 374–383.