Acupuncture San Francisco CA

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, acupuncture began to become better known in the United States in 1971, when New York Times reporter James Reston wrote about how doctors in China used needles to ease his pain after surgery.

The term acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques. American practices of acupuncture incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. The acupuncture technique that has been most studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

How widely is acupuncture used in the United States?

In the past two decades, acupuncture has grown in popularity in the United States. The report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997 stated that acupuncture is being "widely" practiced--by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists, and other practitioners--for relief or prevention of pain and for various other health conditions.

According to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey--the largest and most comprehensive survey of use by American adults to date--an estimated 8.2 million U.S. adults had ever used acupuncture, and an estimated 2.1 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in the previous year.

Acupuncture may reduce pain in  more than 50% of back pain patients and for 65-70% of headache sufferers, according to rehabilitation medicine specialists at the New York University Medical Center. It has also proven useful for arthritis patients.  Many specialists agree that patients report benefit when the needles are placed near where it hurts, not at the body points indicated on traditional Chinese acupuncture charts.  The case for acupuncture has been made by investigators who argue that local needling of the skin excites endorphin systems of pain control.

A 2003 Marketdata study on pain management programs found that 2% of pain practitioners used acupuncture as a treatment method  in 2003.

Key Points

• Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world.
  
   

• It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any treatment that you are using or considering, including acupuncture. Ask about the treatment procedures that will be used and their likelihood of success for your condition or disease.
  
   

• Be an informed consumer and find out what scientific studies have been done on the effectiveness of acupuncture for your health condition.
  
   

• If yo...