Tenterden Osteopath » acupuncture

Acupuncture treatment for anxiety

Bill Ferguson — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:58:10 +0000

We now know which parts of the brain are involved with feelings of anxiety, sadness and pain. See the Sky News article for further information.

The two main parts of the brain that increase their activity when we feel stressed or anxious are the prefrontal cortex and the limbic centres. Recent research carried out in USA has shown acupuncture to reduce activity in these areas. The trials were done using fMRI a technique that lets researchers see which parts of the brain are active when the body is stimulated, eg by having an acupuncture needle put into a muscle.

The exciting possibility is that we may be able to treat chronic anxiety and some forms of depression with acupuncture.

Guardian misses the point of acupuncture

Bill Ferguson — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:22:12 +0000

I am disappointed at this type of sensationalist reporting by the Guardian headline "dozens killed by incorrectly placed acupuncture needles". Acupuncture must be one of the safest therapies around, think how many mortalities are caused by excessive or inappropriate use of prescription drugs. For starters, I would love to see some trials comparing acupuncture against some of the drugs commonly prescribed for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or arthritic joint pain. Let me repeat: acupuncture is extremely safe.

Look at the figures Ernst quotes, 86 patients died over 45 years, from injuries to areas no sane acupuncturist would ever put needles. That’s less than two a year, And incidentally none in the UK. How does this make the case for more regulation? This is a “non-story”. It must be a quiet time for the news desk.

What is the point – sham acupuncture

Bill Ferguson — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:06:37 +0000

Yet another waste of time. What is this obsession with sham acupuncture? Anyone who is involved in acupuncture realises that the effect begins when the tip of the needle touches the skin of the patient. After that there are two variables: the intensity of the treatment and the responsiveness of the patient.

One study looked at two treatments: shallow acupuncture that they called ‘sham’ and deeper acupuncture. Surprise, surprise there wasn’t much difference in effect. Their conclusion ‘acupuncture is no better than sham’. My conclusion ‘their sham was not sham at all, it was acupuncture’, if it proves anything it is that depth of needling is not very important.

A much better trial compared acupuncture with a drug known to control hot flushes.
Acupuncture was just as good at controlling the symptoms with fewer side effects, and no doubt a lot cheaper. I don’t suppose this trial will make the headlines – or am I just an old cynic.

This is what I would like to see: compare acupuncture directly with the normal drugs that are used routinely for arthritic joint pain, for IBS, for headaches and migraines. That would be a good start.

Sciatica is Punishing the Young as well as the Old

Bill Ferguson — Sun, 23 May 2010 15:31:19 +0000

Our modern lifestyles mean that we spend more hours sitting at work than ever before. Sciatica used to be a problem affecting mainly middle aged or elderly people who sit a lot, nowadays it is also affecting people in their 20s and 30s. My colleague Gary Trainer has written an excellent article about sciatica and why it is becoming so widespread. I highly recommend the article and I agree with him that osteopathy and acupuncture are very effective ways of treating the condition. Read the Daily Mail sciatica article here.

I’ve got hay fever, please call me on my mobile

Bill Ferguson — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:27:35 +0000

For as long as I can remember I have been a hay fever sufferer. In my case it is grass pollen that I am sensitive to and the worst time is April until late June. Over the years I have tried many remedies for the sneezing, itching eyes and dry throat that I associate with Spring. Acupuncture helps a bit and last year I tried eating local honey, starting in February and that seemed to help a bit as well, but mostly I just stay indoors on windy days. So when I came across this article I was intrigued.

Japanese researchers are selling therapeutic ringtones that they claim will dislodge pollen from your nose. Yes my first reaction was to look at the date, it seems like an April fool joke but apparently it is serious. So when you start to notice Japanese tourists holding their mobile phones to their noses you will know what they are doing!