If you're looking for the most effective acupuncture in Asheville, you're not alone. There has been a fascination with acupuncture in the West since 1971 when Nixon and his entourage took a trip to China. One of his political analysts, James Reston, had a bout of severe appendicitis and received post-surgical pain relief with acupuncture. Upon his homecoming, Reston wrote an article that appeared in the New York Times which may have in some way set the foundation for the Chinese Medical movement in the West as we know it today. These days, you can find over 28,000 certified acupuncturists across the United States.  

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With so many to choose from, how do you find the right acupuncturist here in Asheville? And how do you know what to look for? 

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Over many decades, extensive studies on acupuncture have taken place. In recognition of the ever-increasing global interest in acupuncture, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a lengthy document establishing acupuncture to be a proven, effective treatment based on controlled clinical trials for the following diseases, symptoms and conditions:

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• Cardiovascular: Hypertension, hypotension, stroke

• Gastrointestinal/Renal: Peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, gastrospasm, dysentery, nausea and vomiting, biliary colic, renal colic

• Head/Ear/Nose/Throat: Allergic rhinitis, headache

• Mental/Emotional Health: Depression

• Pain: Dental pain, facial pain, sciatica, neck, low back and knee pain, shoulder periarthritis, postoperative pain, rheumatoid arthritis, tennis elbow, sprain

• Women’s Health: Dysmenorrhea, morning sickness, malposition of fetus, induction of labor

• Other: Adverse reactions to radiotherapy/chemotherapy, leucopenia
   

The WHO also composed an extensive list of diseases, symptoms and conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further verification is needed:
 

• Addiction: Alcohol dependence, tobacco dependence, opium, cocaine and heroin dependence, detoxification

• Cardiovascular: Hyperlipidemia, Raynaud Syndrome, vascular dementia

• Endocrine: Diabetes Mellitus

• Gastrointestinal/Renal: Ulcerative colitis, abdominal pain (gastroenteritis/gastrointestinal spasm), cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, hepatitis B, gastrokinetic disturbance

• Head/Eye/Ear/Nose/Mouth/Throat: Earache, epistaxis (nosebleed), eye pain, Meniere disease, Sjogren Syndrome, post extubation in children, sore throat, sialism, craniocerebral injury (closed)

• Mental/Emotional Health: Anxiety, stress, insomnia, schizophrenia

• Neurological: Bell’s palsy, facial spasm, neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Tourette syndrome

• Pain: Cancer pain, fibromyalgia, fascitis, gouty arthritis, osteoarthritis, radicular pain, stiff neck, spine pain, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, pain due to endoscopic examination, pain due to thromboangiitis obliterans, Tietze syndrome

• Post-Surgical Support: Postoperative convalescence

• Respiratory: Asthma, whooping cough (Pertussis)

• Skin: Acne vulgaris, herpes zoster, neurodermatitis, pruritus

• Urogenital: Prostatitis, urinary tract infections, urine retention, urolithiasis

• Weight Loss: Obesity

• Women’s Health: Female infertility, hypo-ovarianism, labor pain, lactation deficiency, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), PMS, female urethral syndrome

• Other: Craniocerebral injury, male sexual dysfunction, postextubation in children, epidemic hemorrhagic fever.

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Asheville Alternative Wellness Center is a research-based acupuncture and functional health clinic right here in Western North Carolina. We glean from the best of holistic and allopathic approaches to health, to provide you with the very best options. We also take very seriously both the traditional Eastern theories and contemporary Western theories as to why acupuncture is as effective as it is. 

 

Eastern Theories of Acupuncture's Effectiveness

 

The history of acupuncture dates back at least 4,000 years. In the tradition of Eastern medicine, acupuncture is described as a form of healing which causes the movement of Qi (energy) in channels called meridians. Qi is defined as a vital substance; the combination of the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the movement we do. Some describe it as an electromechanical force, some describe it as life's energy, others the essence of life. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine, hair-like in diameter needles  at specific points in the body to stimulate, disperse, and regulate the flow of qi — or vital energy — and restore a healthy energy balance.

 

Western Theories of Acupuncture's Effectiveness

 

1. Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation appears to   boost the activity of your body's natural painkillers and increase blood  flow.

2. Neurohormonal Theory:  Some studies suggest that the analgesic action of acupuncture is associated with the release of natural endorphins in the brain.

3. Recent studies showing microfiber ducts in the blood and lymph vessels that seem to follow the path of meridians.

4. Other Western theories:  

• Meridian pathways have been observed objectively. When injecting radioactive dye into a meridian, the dye flows along the expected meridian pathway, which does not correspond to any other anatomical structure.  

• Electrical conductivity of acupoints is measurably different than that of surrounding tissue.  

• Brain imaging via PET and MRI has demonstrated that there is a correlation between acupuncture stimulation and the activation or suppression of corresponding regions of the brain cortex.

• Read more about peer reviewed studies and articles on acupuncture and channels/meridians from a western allopathic standpoint by clicking here.

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Will Acupuncture Work for Me?

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We've explored here how acupuncture is a safe, effective means of restoring whole-systems health that has proven itself effective in the East for thousands of years, and increasingly verified in the West in recent decades. In order to determine if acupuncture at Asheville Alternative Wellness center is right for you, please call us at (828) 242-0990 or contact us today. You and your family's health is worth it.