This weekend, Spa Koru participated in the first Hatteras Island Health Fair provided by The Outer Banks Hospital. Trafford Hill, Spa Koru’s Acupuncturist, attended with Spa Koru. It was a great opportunity for us to gain greater exposure for acupuncture. Trafford is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Acupuncture appointments. Here is some additional information on Acupuncture from The Mayo Clinic:

How does acupuncture work?

The traditional Chinese theory behind acupuncture as medical treatment is very different from that of Western medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, health results form a harmonious balance between the complementary extremes (yin and yang) of the life force known as qi or chi.

Qi is beleived to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. These meridians and the energy flow are accessible through more than 350 acupuncture points. Illness results from an imbalance of the forces. By inserting needles ino these points in various combinations, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will rebalance.

In contrast, the Western explanation of acupuncture incorporates modern concepts of neuroscience. Many practicioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue. This stimulation appears to boost the activity of your body’s natural painkillers and increase blood flow.

Who is acupuncture for?

Acupuncture seems to be useful as a stand-alone treatment for some conditions, but it’s also increasingly being used in conjunction with more conventional Western medical treatments. For example, doctors may combine acupuncture and drugs to control pain and nausea after surgery.

Scientific studies generally test treatments against placebos, such as sugar pills. It’s difficult to conduct valid scientific studies of acupuncture, because it’s difficult to devise sham versions of acupuncture. In fact, several studies have indicated that sham acupuncture works as well or almost as well as real acupuncture.

This makes it hard to create a definitive list of the conditions for which acupuncture might be helpful. However, preliminary studies indicate that acupuncture may offer symptomatic relief for a variety of diseases and conditions, including low back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, migraines and osteoarthritis.

In addition, research shows acupuncture can help manage postoperative dental pain and alleviate chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. It also appears to offer relief for chronic menstrual cramps and tennis elbow.

Pros and Cons

As with most medical therapies, acupuncture has both benefits and risks. Consider the benefits:

• Acupuncture is safe when performed properly
• It has few side effects
• It can be useful as a complement to other treatment methods
• It’s becoming more available in conventional medical settings
• It helps control certain types of pain.
• It may be an alternative if you don’t respond to or don’t want to take pain medications.

Acupuncture may not be safe if you have a bleeding disorder or if you’re taking blood thinners. The most common side effects of acupuncture are soreness, bleeding or bruising at the needle sites. Rarely, a needle may break or an enternal organ might be injured. If needles are reused, infectious diseases may be accidentally transmitted. However, these risks are low in the hands of a competent, certified acupuncture practitioner.