Harmony Healing Center Acupuncture
Harmony Health Center, Inc.
3535 NW 58th, Suite 750
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Office: (405) 947-HEAL (4325)
harmonyOK@aol.com
Acupuncture Information
Surprisingly, the most effective new development in American health care is several thousand years old. Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine. It is used to diagnose and treat illness, prevent disease and improve general well being. It is effective for physical, psychological and emotional problems. There are different explanations about its origins. Some believe it originated more than three thousand years ago in the Indus Valley and spread to other oriental countries through Buddhist Monks. However, the Chinese have nursed it over the ages and brought it to its current level of popularity and scientific acceptance.
The World Health Organization and recently the national Institute of Health have recognized acupuncture as an effective health care system. The FDA has also approved the acupuncture needles and devices recently. Many major medical institutions throughout the world are engaged in acupuncture research, treatment and education.
The word “Acupuncture” is derived from Latin. “Acus” means needle and “puncture” means penetration. Precisely inserting fine needles into specific, strategic points of the body carries it out. Nowadays, only sterilized, disposable needles are used. Moxibustion (a form of herbal heat therapy), pressure, friction, suction or impulses of electromagnetic energy may also be used to stimulate the points. In my practice, I also recommend dietary modifications, Ayurvedic herbal supplements, specific therapeutic movement and breathing techniques. During the treatment session, usually one half to one and a half hours, creative visualization/imagery and mediation may also be used to enhance the therapeutic effects of Acupuncture.
Research Base
Acupuncture is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented of the so-called alternative medical practices. A series of controlled studies on the treatment of a variety of conditions has shown compelling, though not statistically conclusive, evidence of efficacy of acupuncture. These conditions are osteoarthritis (Dickens and Lewith, 1989), chemotherapy-induced nausea (J. Dundee et al., 1989), asthma (Fung and Chow, 1986), back pain (Gunn and Milbrandt, 1987), bladder instability (Phillip et al., 1988), and migraine headaches (Vincent, 1990).
Moreover, in spite of the inevitable challenge of serving as the “alternative” therapy of “last resort”, acupuncture studies have shown positive results in managing chronic pain (Patel et al., 1989) and drug addiction (Bullock et al., 1989; Smith, 1988), two areas where conventional medicine has generally failed. Indeed, the criminal justice systems of New York City and Portland, Oregon have mandated acupuncture as part of their detoxification process and probation programs for drug abusers.
In addition, basic science research in animal models suggests that neurological pathways are the mechanisms by which acupuncture relieves pain (Pomeranz). There is also work showing acupuncture effects in treating veterinary medical problems, such as bacteria-induced diarrhea in pigs (Hwang and Jenkins, 1988). A broad range of applications in human medicine has also been explored.
The risk and safety issues of acupuncture have also been thoroughly investigated (Lytle, 1993). In a recent review of 3,255 acupuncture citations in world scientific literature, the conditions of study in 365 Western and 344 Chinese clinical papers were tabulated (American Foundation of Medical Acupuncture, 1993). The number of studies per topic was as follows: surgical applications, 77; pain (chronic and acute pain of all types), 222; neurological disorders, 62; organic illness (e.g., heart, lungs) 200; reproductive disorders, 43; mental illness, 29; addiction therapy, 54; and acupuncture complications, 11. The diversity of clinical applications and supporting basic physiology studies point to acupuncture having a therapeutic affect that exceeds a placebo or culturally dependent action.
Harmony Health Center, Inc.
3535 NW 58th, Suite 750
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Office: (405) 947-HEAL (4325)
harmonyOK@aol.com
