Is
Acupuncture Worth It?
Acupuncture
has been used as a treatment for physical and mental ailments
since before recorded history. The ancient philosophy is rooted
in the Taoist traditions, which dates back over 8000 years and
now is considered by the World
Health Organization (WHO) as a possible treatment for health
problems ranging from certain respiratory diseases to the hiccups.
It seems there is something to the ancient practice and its perceived
usefulness continues to grow.
Recently,
there was an article in Dermatological
Times about a study on acupuncture that was presented to the
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The effectiveness of using
acupuncture to treat skin disorders, which includes acne, was
the main topic of debate.
It
might be that the oldest medicinal tradition may be able to prevent
the oldest skin disorder.
Traditionally acupuncture was (and still is) used to promote body
balancing that’s been seen to improve the overall health
of people. Modern acupuncture takes the process of a step further,
using electrical currents that stimulate different points on the
body to alter neuroendocrine, autonomic and immune functions.
According to the study, both traditional and modern acupuncture
have been viewed as being beneficial to help combat acne.
Probably
the biggest proponent of using acupuncture as a treatment of acne
is Dr. Donald Baker, a clinical assistant professor at the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In his presentation of
the study to the AAD he stated, “Acupuncture treats the
roots of the disease, while traditional medicines treat the branches.”
He emphasized that acupuncture corrected imbalances in many immune
functions, which allow positive impact on peoples overall health
including the skin.
Even though acupuncture still hasn’t been proven as 100%
effective the benefits are there. What people should remember
if they are interested in trying acupuncture is that the value
of the treatment is directly connected to the quality of the person
giving it. There are no standardized requirements across the country;
instead they vary from state to state. So before you go out there
and look for the nearest acupuncture clinic, it would be a good
idea to check out your state requirements and research the person
you are going to in order to be sure of a positive experience.
Also,
remember that acupuncture, as a replacement of typical acne treatments
isn’t under debate. The debate is whether acupuncture should
be viewed as a viable “integrated” approach to helping
acne. And even though it may be helpful in reducing acne, as the
sole treatment it may fall short without using proven OTC, like
AcneRecovery, or prescription treatments.
So,
what do you think? I’m interested to see if anyone has used
acupuncture
as a supplemental treatment for acne. Feel free to comment
if you have. How helpful was it? Would you recommend it? What
are some things that you’ve noticed, or side effects, after
using acupuncture that people should be aware of?
