Аcupuncture

Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been practiced in China for around 3,500 years. However, it became widely known in the West only in the 1970s, when its use as an alternative to conventional anaesthesia received sensational press coverage. Practitioners insert fine, sterile needles into specific points on the body as a treatment for disorders ranging from asthma to drug addiction, but most often in the West as a means of pain relief. Now one of the most well-known and most widely accepted Eastern therapies, acupuncture is increasingly practised in a simplified form by Western doctors.

Acupuncture and its uses

At present researchers and physicians of the world show increasing interest in the ancient method of treatment by means of acupuncture. It is known that ancient oriental medicine gained invaluable experience in treating many diseases by the needle reflexotherapy method. Specialists are convinced of its effectiveness.

The folk medicine of the East should not replace classical medicine. Many of its techniques are compatible with modern methods and produce effective results given their optimal combination.

The growing interest shown in acupuncture is the possibility of reducing the need for medicine. The advantage made by the pharmaceutical chemistry helped mankind to rid itself of many horrible ailments. But the excessive use of medicine became harmful to people. Allergy to medicinal preparations became widespread.

That is why researchers and physicians began to look for new methods of regulating physiological processes in the organism. Acu­puncture was among them.

Modern medicine tries to find out how and why acupuncture relieves some patients of acute and protracted pain.

The scientists are able to select the appropriate spots of acupuncture, of which there are more than 700 on the human body, and to determine durations of needle therapy.

Acupuncture can be used to treat a strictly defined range of diseases, such as neurological and allergical pathologies, diseases of the ear, throat and nose and some other internal organs.

Acupuncture is used as a rule in combination with other types of treatments and rather rarely in the pure form.

Today acupuncture is practised at medical centres in many cities and villages.

Ex.3. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do researchers and physicians all over the world show in­creasing interest in the ancient method of treatment by means of acu­puncture?

2. Are many of the techniques of folk medicine of the East compatible with modern methods?

3. What did the advantage made by the pharmaceutical chemistry do?

4. Why did excessive use of medicine become harmful to man?

5. What does modern medicine strive for?

6.How many appropriate spots of acupuncture are there on the human body ?

7.Where is acupuncture practiced today ?

8. Is acupuncture used in combination with other types of treatments?

9. Can acupuncture be used to treat all diseases ?

10 Are specialists convinced of its effectiveness?