In contemporary
applications of healthcare in North America, it is becoming increasingly common
to hear patients complain that their insurance carrier is challenging them on
what treatment/care is effective for a particular situation, according to the
insurer, and ultimately, coverage is being denied. (It does appear that the
insurance industry is moving toward a catastrophic coverage model, where less
significant, in their opinion, illnesses will be the insured/patient’s
responsibility…we all need to be better at keeping healthy rather than just letting ourselves deteriorate
repeatedly. Case in point, yours truly has always been super health
conscious…except for stretching. After three bouts of lower back sprains, I finally decided to take the time to add
a yoga based program to my routine. We cannot expect that insurance will be
there for all our needs).
Of course, it is obvious that insurance
companies are in the business to minimize their costs, escalate productivity
and maximize profit. As a result, it is not uncommon or unlikely that our
patients will, at some point, be denied coverage, only because the insurance
carrier has deemed chiropractic, laser therapy, muscle release etc. to be ineffective
or an unapproved treatment. Thus, it has been increasingly important to provide
care that can resolve an issue with great expertise, as quickly and affordably
as possible, which finally brings us to the title of this article.
Since 2007, after becoming
certified in acupuncture, I have had the opportunity to see this treatment be a
tremendous complimentary procedure to chiropractic, as well as to the other
ancillary procedures that we utilize (please see previous articles). The best
part is…the NEEDLE-LESS version,
using laser as well as electric stimulation to the desired points has proven to
be extremely effective! Acupuncture, so it appears, is a “system” rather than a
“treatment” that can be carried out via a number of diverse applications, including
pressure by a finger or even a car key; of course, having a background in anatomy
as well as the points associated with the areas of concern is significantly
helpful!
The World Health
Organization (WHO), whose authority concerning health-related matters
internationally cannot be challenged, has compiled a list of symptoms,
syndromes, disease processes, pathologies, traumas and conditions that have
definitely been proven as effectively treated by acupuncture. The WHO has also
compiled a list of diseases, symptoms and conditions for which acupuncture has
shown definite therapeutic effects, but more proof is needed to establish it as
a mainstream form of treatment.
What are the main
indications for clinical application of acupuncture?
1. Acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems with pain
and movement dysfunction.
2. Acute and chronic pain of visceral origin.
3. Reversible functional disturbances of the viscera
(sensory, motor, glandular) such as some of the symptoms associated with
gastrointestinal problems.
In an official report,
Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, the
WHO lists the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown
through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture:
Low back pain
Neck pain
Sciatica
Tennis elbow
Knee pain
Periarthritis of the
shoulder
Sprains
Facial pain (including craniomandibular
disorders)
Headache
Dental pain
Temporomandibular (TMJ)
dysfunction
Rheumatoid arthritis
Induction of labor
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Postoperative pain
Essential hypertension
Adverse reactions to
radiation or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis,
including hay fever
Depression (including
depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Primary dysmenorrhea
Acute epigastralgia
Peptic ulcer
Acute and chronic
gastritis
So, how does it work?
1. Decreases the stimulation of nerve signals that lead
to pain.
2. Reduces the expression of inflammatory chemicals that
stimulate nerve endings.
3. There is evidence that acupuncture physically
interrupts nerve signals from nociceptors (specialized nerve fibers) that lead
to signaling to the spinal cord.
4. There is an
analgesic effect because of a release of naturally occurring opiate-based
chemicals in the body. The release of dynorphine, a natural opioid, may
accelerate tolerance to chronic inflammatory pain. There is also a release of
serotonin which blocks pain pathways and interrupts signals before reaching the
brain.
5. Stress activates nociceptors, (which lead to pain
signals in the brain), and stimulates the Sympathetic Nervous System
(flight-fright response); acupuncture appears to inhibit these pain receptors.
6. Using Electro-acupuncture has shown to reduce
inflammation causing pain by “pumping” the surrounding tissue with contractions
of the muscle.
7. It also has a “modulating” effect on the nervous
system; modulation involves the body’s
ability to regulate itself, i.e. exposure to a cold environment produces reflex
vasoconstriction (tightening) of skin vessels and contraction of a muscle
produces a reflex relaxation of its antagonist (if you bend your elbow, your
bicep muscle contracts while your tricep relaxes). Simply, if the nervous system
is hyperactive, stimulating selected points along the body, (neuro-reactive
sites), slows things down; the reverse scenario is evident as well.
So, what does all this have to do with the price of cannoli in Italy? We have added this treatment procedure for pain control and movement disorders, knowing full well that comments like, “Since my shoulder is moving better, I can breathe easier”, or, “Since my back is better, my elimination is better”. These are comments that I have heard for 30 plus years with chiropractic care alone; chiropractic and acupuncture are a wonderful compliment to each other as they address the whole body, from acute care, to maintaining optimum health!
So, with the increasing personal responsibility to keep ourselves healthy rather than depending on insurance being there as a limitless benefit, we invite you to call us to partner with you to improve the function of your body so that it can adapt more easily to the demands required, as well as guiding you with the knowledge to strengthen and improve your flexibility.
