Electro Acupuncture
Definition
Electroacupuncture is an acupuncture technique that applies small electrical currents to needles that have been inserted at specific points on the body.
Origins
Accupressure originated thousands of years ago in China as a healing technique. Electronic acupuncture was developed in 1958 in China, when acupuncturists there began experimenting with it as surgical anesthesia, or pain control. After several years of testing during surgery, acupuncturists began applying electro acupuncture in clinical practice for many conditions.
Benefits
Electro acupuncture can be used to treat the same variety of health conditions that regular acupuncture treats, and for conditions that do not respond to conventional acupuncture. This electrical stimulation technique is effectively used as surgical anesthesia, as a means of reducing chronic pain and muscle spasms, and as a treatment for neurological (nerve) disorders.
Description
Acupuncturists begin treatment by diagnosing a patient. Diagnosis is performed with interviews, close examinations (such as of the tongue and pulse diagnosis), and other methods. Acupuncture strives to balance and improve the flow of chi, or life energy, which travels throughout the body in channels called meridians. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), illness is caused when chi does not move properly in the body. Acupuncturists are trained to determine where chi is stagnated, weak, or out of balance, which indicates where and how acupuncture points on the body should be stimulated. Electroacupuncture is often recommended for cases of accumulation of chi, such as in chronic pain, and in cases where the chi is difficult to prompt or stimulate.
Patients usually lie down for acupuncture treatment. Thin, sterilized needles are used, and the surface of the skin where they will be inserted is sterilized, as well. One advantage of electroacupuncture is that the margin of error for needle placement is greater than for regular acupuncture, because the electrical current stimulates a larger area around the needle. Electroacupuncture works with two needles at a time in order for electrical current to pass through the body from one needle to another. Small devices are used to create and regulate a pulsing electric charge, which is sent to the needles by attaching small clips to their ends. The electric charge is very small, and can be adjusted by the acupuncturist or patient. Both the voltage (intensity) and the frequency of the electric charge can be adjusted for healing effects. Voltage levels should be raised slowly. Several pairs of needles may be stimulated at one time, for up to 30 or more minutes of electrical stimulation along the meridians. Another similar, though conventional, medical technique is called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which uses electrodes that are taped to the surface of the skin instead of attached to inserted needles, which may be advantageous for patients for whom needles pose risks or problems. This technique stimulates along nerve and muscle groups.
Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture in which acupuncture needles are attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses, generating a small electric current that flows between pairs of needles. Another term is Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS). According to some acupuncturists, this practice augments the use of regular accupressure, can restore health and well-being, and is particularly good for treating pain. For the most part, there is insufficient scientific evidence regarding the safety or efficacy of electroacupuncture, although there is evidence for its efficacy in treating post-chemotherapy vomiting.
Electroacupuncture is quite similar to traditional acupuncture in that the same points are stimulated during treatment. As with traditional acupuncture, needles are inserted on specific points along the body. The needles are then attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses using small clips. These devices are used to adjust the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture uses two needles at time so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously, usually for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, illness is caused when qi does not flow properly throughout the body. Acupuncturists determine whether qi is weak, stagnant or otherwise out of balance, which indicates the points to be stimulated. Electroacupuncture is considered to be especially useful for conditions in which there is an accumulation of qi, such as in chronic pain syndromes, or in cases where the qi is difficult to stimulate.
Precautions
Electroacupuncture should not be used on people who have seizures, epilepsy, histories of heart disease or strokes, or those with heart pacemakers. Electroacupuncture should not be performed on the head, throat, or directly over the heart, and should be perfrmed with care on spastic muscles. Another recommended precaution is that electrical current should not be sent across the midline of the body, which is the line running from the nose to the navel.
Side Effects
During electro accupuncture, patients report sensations of tingling, warmth, and mild aches. Bruising and bleeding may occur, as the needles may hit small blood vessels.
Traditional Acupuncture
- Acupuncture can reduce pain in about 70% of people. Some people (and some animals) have little or no response to acupuncture.
- Research shows that acupuncture works for three reasons: (1) because of the placebo effect, (2) because it causes the body to release endorphins (which are like opiate drugs), and (3) because it causes changes in the nervous system. Its effect is nothing to do with Qi or 'energy meridians'.
- Most of the traditional acupuncture points are useless. The authors of this book limit themselves to 75 points found to be useful. A point in the hand has been found to be particularly effective for pain relief.
- The pain relief provided by acupuncture can be doubled by continuously twirling the needles or by connecting the needles to a source of electrical stimulation.
- Instead of inserting needles through the skin, electrodes may be stuck on the surface of the skin. When electrical stimulation is applied through these electrodes, it has the same effect as applying it through needles. This method is always preferable to inserting needles. This is known as electro-acupuncture or acupoint. The equipment for doing this is very similar to that used for TENS.
- Different frequencies of electrical stimulation cause different endorphins to be released. An electro-acupuncture unit which switches between the frequencies of 2 hertz and 100 hertz every 3 seconds has therefore been produced.
- Treatment for chronic pain should normally consist of electro-acupuncture of the hand point and also of a point close to the source of the pain.
- Giving the patient the tri-cyclic anti-depressant chlorimipramine can increase the effectiveness of electro-acupuncture.
- The electro acupuncture treatment is most effective when given in sessions of 30 minutes once or twice a week. Longer or more frequent treatments may actually decrease its effectiveness in some cases.
- If there is no effect after 10 treatments, it is unlikely that acupuncture is going to work, and it should be discontinued.
- When the level of chronic pain has been reduced by half, the frequency of treatment should be reduced to once every two weeks.