Acupuncture for Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammation has been recognized as the most important concept in disease prevention and disease treatment by medical professions since the middle of last decade. Inflammation may well turn out to be the key to our sickness and health: it touches every aspect of our health. Inflammation has been linked to arthritis, prostate problems, female problems, infertility, osteoarthritis, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, etc. Other health problems like aging, obesity, stroke, and allergic reactions are all related to inflammation.

Inflammation is the one of the most basic human survival mechanisms. Its purpose is to use immune reaction to limit the damage to our body after injuries or invasion by foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses. Without the mechanism of inflammation human beings can not survive.

In our daily life, inflammation often goes beyond control and becomes severe or long-term problem. This is because the immune system, which should function to eliminate injured tissues and invaders, loses its normal regulation and attacks our own body. Thus, this uncontrolled inflammation, if ignored or mistreated, may cause above-mentioned different diseases.

Doctors usually prescribe anti-inflammatory medications like non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroid drugs to control inflammation. These drugs reduce inflammation by artificially suppressing immune system. Unfortunately there is a known pharmaceutical rule: the more powerful the drug is, the more severe side-effect it may produce. Sometimes their side-effects are even more severe than the symptoms they suppose to control.

Scientific researches conducted since late 1950’s have provided enormous scientific data showing that acupuncture is very effective to control, treat and heal the inflammation without side-effects. Basically, all known therapeutic effects of acupuncture are based on its anti-inflammatory functions. Inflammation is not disease-specific, and acupuncture therapy is not disease-specific either. Acupuncture treats diseases by normalizing, not suppressing, immune function.