Needling Ailments

By RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR

The Chinese, the good, old wise folk from the Orient, have created a perestroika of sorts. They have begun to use acupuncture treatment to cure stroke victims too.

What makes needle therapy so unique, effective and, sometimes, an awe to modern scientific thought? Wait a moment.

Acupuncture is best described as a go-between orthodox and fringe medicine. A method which, till recently, had developed in isolation from Western ideas. Not anymore.

All the same, the system is much more than just needles. It is a complicated blend of diets and other measures -- of which the customary definition of acupuncture forms but only a part.

Channel Effect

Based on a principle that an inseparable element of life-force called ch’i is flowing through the human body along a series of a dozen channels or meridians, acupuncture proponents believe that alongside these meridians lie over 700 points, at which the flow of the life-force can be influenced by the therapist’s needles. Theorists also say that the cause of sickness is due to an imbalance in the flow of the life-force along the channels.

The most amazing part is that the needles, for therapy, are inserted in the underlying tissues and/or skin of the patient, having no relationship whatsoever to the area in which the illness, or pain, is located or felt.

For example, needles maybe inserted in the lobe of the ear, during an operative procedure in the abdomen; or, they maybe placed in the forearm, when the neck would be the site for surgery.

Anaesthesia is also induced in the same way. Once in place, the needles are twirled. In modern acupuncture practice, manual twirling has been replaced by electric current from wires joined to a circuit or battery.

Critics say there is no basis for justifying such theories, because the channels do not appear to exist. Also, the existence of structures, at the acupuncture points, that give rise to changes anywhere in the body when stimulated by needles, they argue, cannot be demonstrated.

Photo-Finish

The fact remains that the method has been found to produce some interesting changes in the body at the basic, physical level, because some of the main points correspond to areas representing a positive response -- or, what is known as Kirlian Photography. This is a form of photogram made with high voltage, which now finds favour in detecting illnesses like cancer. The idea is also said to aid psychiatrists, when an object to be photographed is kept sandwiched between two metal plates, lodged against a sheet of colour film. Experts in the field say that Kirlian photography depicts the body's "aura," or the so-called "human energy field," which is not ordinarily perceptible.

An electrical potential without a camera is applied between existing metal plates, oscillating at a phenomenal speed of over 200,000 cycles per second. When the film is developed, an image of the object appears, bordered by dazzling plumes of coloured lights and small twinkling patterns like stars -- a fascinating exposition of electrical fields around the living body. Yet again, sceptics do not agree with its “scientificity.” Well, that’s fine -- no problem.

Effective Pain Relief

Acupuncture alone as a treatment for all illnesses has not been still accepted. In China too, it is not as widely used as maybe the popular opinion. But, its use in the treatment of pain caused by illnesses like arthritis, or after surgery, has been valued and appreciated worldwide. This is not all. Western researchers and surgeons have seen operations carried out under acupuncture-induced anaesthesia, where patients were able to even converse, eat and drink, during surgery -- this included some of the most complicated brain operations.

How does acupuncture work? No one knows for sure, although it is thought that the twirling of the needle/current passed through or along the channels may produce an interference of a kind with the normal passage of nerve impulses. This could convey a message to the brain, or the central nervous system -- thus, pain, for example, may no longer be felt.

Growing Acceptance

Acupuncture has sure gained acceptance as an auxiliary treatment in other schools of medicine, in the West, most notably modern medicine and homoeopathy.

Coming back to stroke, reports from China say paralytic patients were able to stand up and walk more than 20 steps, after undergoing acupuncture therapy pioneered by Prof Wang Duany, attached to the Beijing College of Acupuncture. This ground-breaking needle treatment for stroke is the result of Wang’s three decades of clinical and teaching experience in traditional Chinese medicine. Says Wang, “The effectiveness of this form of therapy is almost 95 per cent.”

Avers Wang: “From clinical observation, people who have been debilitated by strokes for up to six months, and especially those who have only had the problem for three months, can make excellent progress. Those who have suffered longer than six months gain little benefit from the treatment. They may need the aid of sticks to walk.”

During the course of his treatment, Wang uses two needles, most commonly a needle that has a length of 5.5 cm. It takes 15-30 minutes for Wang to complete one session of treatment, in the course of which he also gives patients other instructions, ordering them to breathe-in deeply and stretch their paralysed limbs.

The extent of the problem decides the number of sessions. The needle/s may remain in the patient’s head for two hours, or two days, without affecting his/her normal life.

Patients, bogged down by acute strokes, may need treatment on a daily basis for over a week or two, says Wang.

Wang’s success with needles for stroke has aroused great interest for sure. What’s more, its cumulative benefits are now being intensely studied worldwide – to help patients manage their health problems with better effect.