Acupuncture is a therapeutic method of traditional Chinese medicine that involves the insertion of some very thin needles in certain skin points, called acupoints, with the aim of rebalancing the body as a whole.

This practice acts by activating nervous and biohumoral mechanisms through the stimulation of the body’s production of endorphins, serotonin and other mediators naturally present in the body, thus representing a real curative treatment and not just a simple palliative or symptomatic treatment.

It is therefore currently recognized and regulated by the World Health Organization and as a medical act in Italy it can only be practiced by qualified doctors.
To deepen this practice we asked a few questions to Dr. Andrea Ruggieri of idoctors.it , sports doctor, nutritionist and acupuncturist in Turin.

What are the principles of acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique of Chinese origin whose first references in literature date back to more than two thousand years ago. The principles on which it is based are very complex, as it exploits the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine, which are profoundly different from that of the West.

Everything can be traced back to an holistic (ie complete) vision of the patient and less limited to the symptom. To give an example, in Western medicine it is said: ” I have a headache so I take a painkiller ” (which works by simply raising the pain threshold), in Eastern medicine, however,  the root of the disorder is soughteliminating any underlying pathological effect and thus improving general health conditions, more in the long term and not just immediately. 

As regards acupuncture in detail, this is done by exploiting certain points of the body surface, about three hundred and fifty , identified thanks to the feedback that has been there at the empirical level over the millennia. These points, if stimulated with needles, allowed to act on the “qi”, which can be translated as “bodily energies”, and therefore rebalance, recreate harmony, with the possibility of having a concrete benefit even on some pathologies.

Scientific studies conducted with Western methodshave demonstrated, where indicated, the real efficacy of acupuncture, which therefore overcomes the placebo effect or simple suggestion.

In which cases can it be useful to use it?

Three quarters of patients who turn to acupuncture do so to resolve musculoskeletal pathologies in a broad sense, an area in which this type of treatment is very effective.

In detail we talk about: muscle contractures,  pathologies of the spine , joints , tendons and so on.
The percentage of effectiveness with respect to these problems is very high, approaching almost 100%.

Acupuncture can also be effective for treating a multitude of other physical and psychological problems .

Here are other examples of its fields of application:

• Neurological : for headaches, migraines, sleep or mood disorders.
• Gynecological : for menstrual disorders and as an adjuvant for fertility.
• Gastrointestinal : for nausea, vomiting, intestinal disorders, irritable colon.
• Otolaryngology : in case of rhinitis, asthma, allergic sinusitis

However, it is good to remember that acupuncture is not an alternative therapy, as it was said in the past, but is to be considered as complementary , that is, to be accompanied by any pharmacological therapy in progress.

How does an acupuncture session take place?

The acupuncture session takes place in a healthcare setting , in the doctor’s office of an acupuncturist almost always. It begins with a general anamnestic interview, slightly different, also as an objective examination, compared to the Western one, with the drafting of an informed consent, as it is an invasive therapy, using needles. 

Then we proceed with the insertion of a variable number (generally from ten to fifteen) of small and very thin sterile and disposable needles in different areas of the body at a depth of half a centimeter or so, with the patient lying down or sitting on a bed, kept in place for about twenty or thirty minutes. 

The sessions usually take place on a weekly basis or, in some cases, twice a week, and the treatment almost always lasts around one or two months, depending on the starting situation and the effect obtained from one session to the next, evaluating the response to the therapy from time to time .

Are there any contraindications?

The contraindications of acupuncture are almost all relative . The absolute ones relate exclusively to local factors, for example linked to a skin lesion of a part where a needle should be inserted.

Acupuncture is also not applicable:

• To all infectious pathologies;
• to problems of surgical relevance;
• to oncological problems;
• to degenerative pathologies;
• to autoimmune diseases;
• to psychiatric pathologies.

The relative contraindications are instead related to the so-called undesirable effects , which can be:

• Lowering of blood pressure during the session, which can lead to dizziness, but this situation is easily remedied by making the patient lie down during the session.
• Small bleeding or bruising where the needle is inserted.
• Lowering of body temperature

However, the side effects of acupuncture are rare and minimal and all transient.

Then there is a secondary effect linked to acupuncture, far from undesirable however, indeed often sought after, which is a strong state of relaxation after the session, which is often actually exploited on a therapeutic level.

Is Acupuncture a Painful Practice?

No and it doesn’t have to be . Indeed, pain is proof that something is wrong and must be changed. The only discomfort that may possibly be felt are a slight sting or small jolts in the muscle at the time of the needle entry (which in any case is one tenth as large as the sampling needle), or a feeling of numbness or of heat after the sting, all in any case normal and absolutely temporary situations.

Bibliography and sources

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain: a multicenter, randomized, patient-assessor blind, sham-controlled clinical trial. Yu-Jeong Cho, et al. – Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Apr 1; ​​38 (7): 549-57. doi: 10.1097 / BRS.0b013e318275e601.
The effects of acupuncture versus sham / placebo acupuncture for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Jinhuan Zhang, et al. – Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Nov; 41: 101253. doi: 10.1016 / j.ctcp.2020.101253. Epub 2020 Nov 1.
Manual acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and usual care for prophylaxis of episodic migraine without aura: multicentre, randomized clinical trial. Shabei Xu, et al. – BMJ. 2020 Mar 25; 368: m697. doi: 10.1136 / bmj.m697.
Acupuncture in sham device controlled trials may not be as effective as acupuncture in the real world: a preliminary network meta-analysis of studies of acupuncture for hot flashes in menopausal women. Tae-Hun Kim, et al. – Acupunct Med. 2020 Feb; 38 (1): 37-44. doi: 10.1136 / acupmed-2018-011671. Epub 2019 Sep 13.