In principle, the idea of meridians initially reminds us of the nerve pathways familiar to Western orthodox physicians, which run through the entire body. Although a specific stimulation of such nerve pathways by needle stimulation could, for example, influence a sensation of pain, an assignment of the meridians to the familiar nerve pathways, however, cannot be made without further ado. Another thesis assumes a connection between the course of the meridians and that of lymphatic vessels. However, there is as yet no clear connection between meridians and body structures, nor is there a definitive explanation for the effects of acupuncture.
Acupuncture: still associated with skepticism in the West
Nevertheless, the widespread use and long tradition of acupuncture speaks for this healing method. However, like other therapies and medicines, acupuncture in the West must undergo modern scrutiny based on statistical and medical criteria. This includes questions such as: Is the treatment method tolerable and does it not involve incalculable or serious dangers? Does the treatment actually bring relief from suffering? If so, is this positive effect actually so high that it can no longer be explained by the so-called placebo effect?
“Gerac” study on the effectiveness of acupuncture.
In recent years, several studies have been conducted according to modern criteria and with sufficiently large numbers of patients to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture. In 2001-2005, the first part of the “Gerac” (German Acupuncture trials – clinical studies on acupuncture in Germany) determined the extent to which acupuncture entails undesirable effects, i.e., side effects. The results showed that acupuncture is a very tolerable therapy. Far less than one percent of those treated showed local infections after treatment, for example. In the second part, which ran until 2008, the aim was to determine whether the effectiveness of acupuncture could be statistically proven, especially in comparison with other, “Western” forms of therapy. For this purpose, pain patients were treated with one of three possible therapies: Either traditionally Western, for example with medicines, or with one of two types of acupuncture – one adhering to the rules of Chinese medicine, the other purposefully disregarding them and acupuncturing randomly selected body sites. This was to determine whether focusing on the classical acupuncture sites was actually important. For example, 1039 patients with knee joint wear and tear were studied – 28 percent of those treated with standard therapy had less pain and better joint function afterward; success rates for acupuncture patients were about 50 percent.
Further studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture
In April 2005, the Charité Hospital in Berlin and the Techniker Krankenkasse health insurance company published the final report on the efficacy study “Acupuncture improves quality of life and is economical.” In this study, about 10,000 physicians had treated more than 300,000 patients with acupuncture over a period of four and a half years and recorded the results by means of questionnaires, among other things. The result: acupuncture helps permanently with many ailments – from allergies to spinal pain. For example, nine out of ten allergy sufferers still felt significantly better six months after treatment than before, and 82 percent of asthmatics had considerably fewer complaints. The results of a study by German complementary physicians in the American Medical Journal (Klaus Linde et al. : Acupuncture for Patients With Migraine. Journal of the American Medical Association – JAMA, 2005;Vol. 293 pp. 2118-2125) proved high efficacy in migraine. About 300 men and women over 40 were divided into three groups for this study. One group received twelve applications of traditional Chinese acupuncture. A second group received non-specific acupuncture, and a third group received no therapy but was allowed to take pain medication. With both acupuncture therapies, there were significantly fewer migraine attacks – only two per month instead of five.
Acupuncture: side effects almost nonexistent
A Korean study found hardly any side effects with acupuncture. In 100 treatments, side effects occurred there an average of three times. Among these, the patients studied suffered most frequently from bleeding in the puncture area. Bruising and pain also occurred occasionally.In general, however, all side effects disappeared again after 48 hours at the latest. Incidentally, the complaints occurred particularly frequently in patients treated by doctors with less than three years of professional experience. However, with experienced physicians who follow all guidelines, acupuncture is a very safe treatment method.
Bottom line: acupuncture helps
The results of the studies were able to confirm one thing: Acupuncture helps, and for some complaints it even works better than standard therapies. This is especially true for migraines, back and joint pain, and allergies. Possibly, as some doctors suspect, a stronger release of the body’s own painkillers, the endorphins, contributes to the effect. But all doctors agree on one thing: acupuncture is not equally suitable for all complaints. Severe pain underlying cancer or other serious illness should be treated in the conventional way.
