What are some extreme cases where acupuncture is useful? Let us talk about a few particularly interesting ones. The first is using acupuncture on a person in a coma. Many times people in comas only receive minimal care. When my father was in a long term care hospital, I often walked by two rooms where the occupants were in comas, one I knew had been that way for at least several months. After treating any conditions that the doctors were aware of, there was little else to do for these patients. The one that was there for months never had any visitors as far as I could see, and the hospital was maintaining him until at some time he might come out of his coma. The practice of acupuncture can help a person in a coma in the following ways: clear the physical senses, calm the spirit, clear the brain, strengthen the heart, and eliminate phlegm. Without getting too specific, these areas are regulated by different organs of the body and the energy from those organs, and insertion of needles at correct points will redirect that energy.
Depending on the patient, sometimes the needles might be twirled gently. Western medicine distinguishes comatose patients based on their originating symptom (brain tumor, car accident, etc), but the practice of acupuncture groups the patients by their set of common symptoms. The use of acupuncture for these patients will improve their overall well being, and in some cases the patients revive after a time, though it is not possible medically to determine why they revive.
A second use of acupuncture is for someone that is prone to simple fainting. As a caution, a physician should determine if the cause is serious heart trouble. If not, there are standard acupuncture regimes which will regulate energy to allow the blood to freely recirculate through the entire body, including the head. It is also interesting to note that a number of times this physical symptom can be accompanied by a social problem such as overwork, or an emotional problem such as internally rebelling from a situation that the patient wanted to be released from. Acupuncture can restore harmony to both the physical and emotional components of the patient.
Another application of acupuncture is for patients in emergency situations. It would be best to have an actual acupuncture practitioner at the scene, but anyone can use these simple techniques. If someone has lost consciousness, apply a strong pressure with your fingernail in the groove between the nose and mouth, about one third of the way down from the nose. This is a simple acupuncture point that may well awaken the patient. Chest-related emergencies can be helped with the acupuncture point on the underside of the forearm, between the two tendons, and about two thumb widths back from the last wrist crease. This may help for people experiencing palpitations, hiccups, stomach pain, and lung problems. Press firmly.
These just list a few unusual applications where acupuncture would be useful. There are also acupuncture regimens for people that have gone into shock, a drowning victim that is now breathing but still unconscious, acupuncture support for patients with broken limbs, etc. I hope this has expanded your view on many additional uses for acupuncture.
Many of us know about how acupuncture can relieve stress, deaden pain, and be used for other emotional or mental purposes. It is also very useful for a number of problems that women face, from menstrual problems up to the problem of infertility. We will look at a couple of examples to show that acupuncture can be an asset in each case. Of course, you will want to consult your individual acupuncture professional to determine the specific treatment for an individual case.
The first case is a lady with painful and irregular menstrual periods. She gets depressed and irritable, and when she gets angry the pain increases. The first thing to notice about this case is the connection between the cause, menstruation, and the symptoms, which are both physical (pain), mental (irritability), and emotional (anger). The acupuncture practitioner is interested in all of these, and symptoms of whatever kind should be reported. Notice also the connection that she sees between increased pain when she is angry, which is also important. A simple analysis of this pinpoints anger and irritability as a log jam of energy in some location in the body. The irregular occasion of the periods suggests the liver. A series of acupuncture visits cleared up the pain and emotional connections to her periods.
A second case is a lady who is going through "the change", and having a hard time with hot flashes and lower back pain. Her acupuncture practitioner talked about the energy around the kidney organ, and that, as we age, there is less kidney energy, and menstruation ceases. The kidney energy has two aspects, Yin and Yang, and hot flashes indicate too much Yang, and the pain in her lower back confirms the Kidney, as that is where it is located. Another common symptom of this, though not in this case, is the symptom of "ringing in the ears". An acupuncture regime for the kidney is prescribed to rebalance the energy and eliminate the symptoms.
The next case is a thirty-six year old woman who cannot conceive. She has already gone through standard western testing, and all hormone levels are acceptable, but nothing has occurred. She normally has somewhat irregular periods, and she is somewhat given to depression. This sounds somewhat similar to the first case because of the irregular periods, and indeed, the liver is included as part of this treatment. Also, from the second case, the kidney energy regulates menstruation, so this organ too is involved in the acupuncture treatment. A second implication of energy problems with the liver is the tendency toward depression.
So, acupuncture has well established treatments for a number of common female problems, and if you suffer from any of these, please ask your acupuncture practitioner. Some of these are treated with more consistent success, for example, the third case illustrated has not yet seen a resolution of her problem. Also notice from the third case, that often western medicine and acupuncture can go hand in hand, as this lady's regular physician had no problem with her seeking a series of acupuncture treatments as a possible solution. One thing that should be emphasized is that the acupuncture treatment is only a manipulation with needles, and involves no medicines whatsoever in these cases. For those of you with menopause or menstruation problems, this has many advantages. Call your acupuncture practitioner.
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