Medical Acupuncture in Pregnancy

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Introduction to Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

What is Acupuncture?

Definition of Acupuncture

(after De la Fuye)

Acupuncture

   Uses metal needles (in the past, gold or silver needles);

   Is performed on specific points that can be sensitive to pressure or spontaneously painful;

   Is used in the case of reversible diseases or disorders that impact the functions of the organism;

   For diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes.

Acupuncture is only a very small branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM encompasses far more possibilities than acupuncture alone. Also, acupuncture as we know it is often very much influenced by Western ways of looking at things. Although acupuncture in particular has risen in popularity in the West, it only makes up 15% of all therapeutic methods of TCM.

TCM regards humans as a microcosm within the macrocosm of the environment. TCM has nothing to do with mysticism, but rather exemplifies empirical and observational therapeutics that are based on the observation of nature and follow guidelines that can be studied and verified. The basis for this is a solid knowledge of ancient Chinese concepts of health, sickness, and pathogenesis. Every TCM treatment (e. g., with Chinese medicinal herbs or a special diet) is based on detailed observation and well-based diagnosis. It follows guidelines both of Western medicine and traditional Chinese rules. TCM's strength lies not only in its holistic approach to healing, but primarily in its regulative and prophylactic aspects.

Acupuncture is one of the most fascinating concepts of healing which human inventiveness has come up with outside of the Western medical tradition. Zhen jiu, the Chinese term for acupuncture, means "to stick and to burn," which indicates the use of a needle in connection with the warming of acupuncture points (moxibustion).

Needle acupuncture is the mode of acupuncture therapy known in the West. Moxibustion is used far less here than it is in China. According to Chinese tenets, acupuncture and moxibustion form an inseparable unit.

Moxibustion uses "moxa," which is extracted from the medicinal plant Artemisia vulgaris. More than 200 types of this species are known and they include mugwort, which is common in Northern Europe. The leaves of the medicinal plant are dried, pulverized, and pressed into small cones or sticks, also referred to as "moxa cigars." In accordance with traditional treatment procedures, a glowing moxa cigar supplies the acupuncture points with heat.

  Acupuncture Arrives in Europe

The first accounts of acupuncture in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century, when they arrived from China via trade routes. Until the mid-19th century, acupuncture was conducted as a simple needle pricking without consideration for Chinese fundamental principles. Only since the mid-20th century has acupuncture been practiced increasingly in line with the principles of Chinese medicine. In Europe, the first scientific studies began in the 1960s. Prof. Bischko of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute at the University of Vienna was especially renowned in the field of acupuncture.

There are obstacles for acupuncture to overcome before it can be integrated into Western medicine, because the Chinese conception of the world cannot effortlessly be transcribed into our system of medicine. It is based on the idea of balance, the harmonious relationship between the so-called five elements, and between the polarities of yin and yang. The five phase theory and the concept of yin and yang were initially philosophical concepts used to describe the universe. They were later utilized to describe all processes inside the body. The application of the five phase theory to the concepts of the evolution of human life, physiology, pathology, and pathogenesis can be found as early as 230 BC in the classic textbook on internal medicine-the so-called Nei Jing.

  Acupuncture as a Regulatory Therapy

Acupuncture is a holistic therapy mode, because it has an effect on the location of the therapeutic stimulus as well as on the entire organism. The "energetic equilibrium" that is observed by TCM is called stimulation therapy in holistic medicine. This refers to the ability of acupuncture to balance the disharmonic functions of the organism by applying appropriate stimulation.

When the body's equilibrium is restored through regulation, diseases can be cured and functional disorders eliminated.

Acupuncture is especially effective when combined with other therapies. It also works well when used to complement the therapeutic approaches of conventional medicine. Even in ancient China, acupuncture was rarely used as a monotherapy. The combination of acupuncture and other therapeutic approaches frequently offers lasting relief and freedom from symptoms, especially in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.

Unfortunately, the past few years have shown an increasing tendency toward a rather careless application of acupuncture. The lack of side effects in acupuncture tempts some practitioners into using acupuncture without following a strict diagnosis ("it won't do any harm"). This approach needs to be rejected, as it wrongfully discredits acupuncture, while preventing the application of other methods that might be more beneficial to the patient.

Acupuncture as a regulatory procedure is only beneficial when treating disorders, and not when treating destroyed structures.

Acupuncture is not suitable for treating the cause of organ lesions, malignant growths, severe psychiatric conditions, or acute life-threatening conditions. Furthermore, contraindications need to be taken into consideration.

By observing the following rule:

"Acupuncture can treat a disorder, but cannot mend what is damaged."

many established indications for acupuncture therapy can be derived. At the same time it keeps unreasonable expectations and improper application of the method at bay.

Acupuncture removes disturbances of vital movement by dissolving stagnations and blockages; it redirects or diverts blood, body fluids, heat, and energy. Acupuncture therapy rebalances the energy between different areas of the body, on the surface of the body, as well as between external and internal parts of the body. It restores internal balance and influences visceral organs by applying stimuli at the body's surface.

The Basics of TCM

TCM regards a human being as a system of functional networks. Ancient Chinese philosophy represents pre-Confucian and Taoist concepts. According to these concepts, nothing exists by itself isolated from others. Instead, everything always exists in reciprocal relationships and, thus, is subject to continuous dynamic change. In the understanding of the nature-based philosophy practiced by ancient Chinese physicians, man is an integral part of nature, constantly interacting with his environment. Like nature, he is subject to dynamic cycles and periodic developmental phases. To the Chinese, these transformations were manifestations of the laws of nature, called tao.

  Tao

The Chinese word tao cannot be translated. Terms like "way," "sense," "pathway," or "regulation" only partially reflect the meaning of tao. Tao describes all of earth's processes as systematically connected and interrelated. This "order" is not static but dynamic, and keeps forming itself anew.

Tao is the structuring and regulating principle in which all existence and events are rooted, the "all-in-one."

The human organism is a classification system that follows the same laws as the rest of nature. Man must live in harmony with nature to protect himself and nature from damage. It is the responsibility of the physician to ensure that this takes place in the proper way. Thus, the main function of physicians in ancient China was to teach people about correct lifestyle, to prescribe diets in harmony with the seasons and the times of day, and to prevent diseases from forming by incorporating preventative measures.

Physicians were remunerated only for the preservation of health. In cases of serious illness, treatment was free of charge. The concept of tao was the starting point for the development of a holistic diagnosis or holistic therapy and today represents the commonly used term "holism." The term tao is also closely connected to the idea of transformation and change. It forms the basis of the Chinese concept of disease, as well as the theory of the phases and types of a disease.

Life Force Qi

The idea of a life force qi originates in the tao. Qi is energy, function, information, and substrate. Qi is a combination of prenatal or original qi, grain qi, and air qi. They form the true or normal qi. Applying modern medical understanding, the life force qi can be compared to the...