Screen Shot 2015-09-16 at 11.42.44 AMIn our last blog, A Little Bit About Acupuncture, we discussed some of the background and benefits of this ancient treatment, and touched on several of the different conditions and illnesses that can be relieved via acupuncture. But, there are still lots of things that people just don’t know about acupuncture and, as is often the case, the more we learn about things (even if it’s just fun facts) the more “at ease” we are with the procedure.

So, without further adieu, here’s our list of Fun Facts About Acupuncture:

  • Acupuncture is over 5,000 years old and is one of the oldest practicing forms of medicine known to date.
  • Originally, acupuncture needles were not made of stainless steel but instead were made of stone, bamboo, and bone.
  • Acupuncture gained attention in the United States after President Nixon visited China in 1972. Nixon was travelling with a New York Times reporter named James Reston, who wound up receiving acupuncture in China after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Reston was so impressed with the pain relief that the treatment provided him that he wrote about acupuncture upon returning to the United States.
  • In 1997, acupuncture was formally recognized as a mainstream healing option by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). They released a statement documenting the procedure’s safety and efficacy for treating a range of health conditions.
  • The U.S. FDA classified acupuncture needles as medical instrument and assured their safety and effectiveness. Also, acupuncture needles are single use, sterilized, and pre-packaged.
  • Acupuncture can increase the success rate of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) up to 65%.
  • While awareness of acupuncture is growing, many conventional physicians are still unfamiliar with both the theory and practice of acupuncture.
  • There are hundreds of clinical studies on the benefits of acupuncture now, many of which originate in China. Acupuncture has been used successfully in the treatment of conditions ranging from musculoskeletal problems (back pain, neck pain, and others) to nausea, migraine headache, anxiety, and insomnia.
  • Even though a needle is involved, acupuncture is virtually painless.
  • Acupuncture is highly individualized – for example, if 50 people with the common cold got acupuncture, all 50 people could have different acupuncture points in their treatments.

So, there you have it! Hopefully you learned some fun information from reading this blog. If you’d like more information on acupuncture – or any of the services that the providers here at Fletcher Chiropractic perform – please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

source: med.unc.edu; nih.gov; examiner.com