Health Intuitive

Alternative Medicine News

Discovering the Power of Acupuncture in Treating Epilepsy

More and more people suffering from epilepsy are starting to discover that acupuncture helps lessen seizures. This ancient Chinese medicinal procedure has been in use for more than 3,000 years treating a wide variety of illnesses and disease. It was introduced in the United States in the early 1970s. It is one of the most sought after complementary therapies in Europe and in the United States today.

Acupuncture is part and parcel of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a collection of modalities that includes acupuncture, Chinese massage, moxibustion, exercises, herbal formulas, and diet.

Acupuncturists believe that this treatment can be very helpful for addressing epilepsy though how well the treatment turns out depends on the patient’s extent and type of epilepsy he/she suffers. Practitioners with experience in treating epilepsy patients state that acupuncture helps lower the severity and frequency of seizures. The treatment zooms in on the illness’s root cause but since it’s a natural type of treatment, the results may take some time to manifest. Patients expecting immediate results might be disappointed with this type of treatment. For patient individuals, the results can be worth the wait. Most of the time, acupuncture for the treatment of epilepsy is combined with dietary suggestions and herbal remedies.

Energy Balance

The way TCM treats and prevents a condition is much different to that of Western medicine. Unlike Western doctors, traditional acupuncturists believe that the body possesses a vital energy that circulates throughout through vessels or channels of energy known as meridians. Qi is what the Chinese call this vital energy. It is the life force responsible for all the functions of the body – from emotions to metabolism. When an individual is in good health, the Chinese believe that qi flow in the person runs unhindered. But a blocked qi flow always produces pain and/or illnesses. Acupuncture is utilized to restore the proper flow of qi and the harmony of yin and yang in the body. The meridians are located just beneath the surface of the skin.

To restore qi balance in the body, the acupuncturist sticks sterilized filiform needles at specific points in the body called acupoints. Underneath each acupoint lies a meridian that corresponds to a specific organ system in the body. For epilepsy patients, some of the needled points are associated with the brain organ system. The needles help boost the flow of blood to the brain. The acupuncturist can actually lower or boost the qi flow of a person in order to remove any blockages that has developed in a meridian. To produce enduring and substantial results, the acupuncturist would also prescribe herbs and suggest dietary changes to his/her patients.

Acupuncture’s goal goes way beyond the alleviation of symptoms. Its aim is to resolve the root cause of the problem. This means that the patient is treated as a whole through the restoration of balance between the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of his being.

This treatment aims to aid the body to self heal. The factors that the patient considers important including his/her spiritual and inner life are taken into account in an acupuncture diagnosis and treatment.

Unlike acupressure, a needleless acupuncture procedure, acupuncture needs to be performed by a trained and qualified practitioner. Unfortunately, factors such as incompetent and unqualified practitioners or people who do not respond to the treatment are some of the reasons why acupuncture may from time to time, fail to treat a condition.

Pulses

Unlike a doctor who takes our pulse to determine the amount of blood lost or the heartbeat of a patient, an acupuncturist needs to read our pulse to gain more information about different organ systems in the body (liver, spleen, abdomen, etc). For the acupuncturist, the pulse displays the condition of our qi energy systems. The acupuncturist divides the pulse into a dozen main parts. The wrist has six of these parts and each of them is related to a certain type of energy that flows to a certain type of meridian. By knowing how qi is flowing throughout the body of a patient, the acupuncturist determines where the needles need to be inserted.

Research

Chinese studies have shown the safety, viability and potency of acupuncture as a reliable way to lower or lessen seizures. One particular study suggested that treating epilepsy with massage, acupuncture and herbs gave the best outcomes.

A study done in Germany had 100 people all suffering from epilepsy participating. Their ages ranged from two years old to 52 years old. During the initial weeks of therapy, drugs were not administered. They were instead treated with acupuncture lasting 18 months. About 67 of these people manifested significant improvements with zero seizures that lasted a whole year without medications. The patients later on were given acupuncture treatment for maintenance once every two or three months. Relapses were also recorded in five patients.

A bulk of the research about acupuncture treatment for epilepsy in the U.S. was performed on animals. A particular study where the subjects were dogs, all five of the dogs experienced a decrease of their seizures after being given acupuncture treatment. Three dogs showed lesser incidents of seizures with minimal amounts of anticonvulsants; the other two dogs also showed a lessening of their seizures.

One patient in New York artist, who at age 21 was diagnosed with epilepsy of the temporal lobe decided to try acupuncture. She was given treatments for a number of years in weekly and eventually monthly intervals. The treatment enabled her to lessen her intake of medications. She also was able to control her seizures. She stated that the she now can relax in a much better way and now experiences a renewed sense of well-being. She thought that her acupuncturist had a much better understanding of her condition than her neurologist had ever had of her condition. She had an acute sense of observation and this was gleaned when her patient told that she had a seizure the day before. Her acupuncturist knew all about it because she observed that the patient’s spleen spot was swollen.

Another case involved a man who was suffering numerous instances of grand mal seizures during sleep. His doctor diagnosed him with Partial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and prescribed Dilantin. Because he was wary of the side effects of the drug, the patient tried Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. These treatments allowed him to gain better control of his condition without experiencing the toxic and mind-numbing and toxic effect of the prescription medications.

Babies and children suffering from epilepsy can also benefit from acupuncture treatments. There is no age-requirement for anyone who need treatment for this extremely safe and effective alternative modality.

Risks

Although acupuncture is quite safe for anyone to use, studies have suggested that it can lead to certain risks. Researchers have found that there were more than a hundred cases of patients who were seriously injured by the treatment and four cases were an acupuncture procedure led to death. The piercing of the surrounding tissue and the lungs of the patient were the most common problem. All these accidents and fatalities were caused by the poor inadequate skill of the practitioner. These incidents have significantly been lowered due to current state laws requiring practitioners to pass an exam before they can practice.

The NIH in 1998 declared that acupuncture is a legitimate and effective form of treatment for several types of health conditions including lower back pain, substance and behavioral addiction, stroke, headaches, and migraines. Soon to be included in this official roster is epilepsy.

Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview Dr #2250
Overland Park, KS 66210
Phone: (913) 549-4322
www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

COMMENTS