Introduction
If there's a big difference between Oriental philosophy and Western religion, it is the lack of the presence of a monotheistic deity. Very simply, the denial or the lack of importance given to a 'higher power'.
And in making further comparison, Oriental philosophy with its varied school of thought finds similarities by emphasizing on 'doctrine', that helps one live practically and ethically.
While Western religion doesn't necessarily promote man being one with nature, Oriental religion does so… and it is through this philosophy that Traditional Chinese Medicine finds its roots.
Even though it is considered as an alternative form of medicine in the Western world, it is still considered as a mainstream form of medicine in parts of Asia.
Some of the important elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine are Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, Tui Na and Shiatsu massage and dietary therapy, of which acupuncture has received a lot of attention for its relatively low risk as a therapeutic method.
Acupuncture
Since acupuncture is part of a philosophy (Traditional Chinese medicine) that finds its origins back to a time when science (specifically, biology) did not even exist, the effectiveness of this form of treatment is still controversial amongst medical researchers and clinicians due to the inability to validate this form of treatment using the scientific method.
But what is the procedure of acupuncture all about that has raised so much speculation and discussion?
Very simply, acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles at particular points in the body (also known as acupoints) in order to relieve the patient of pain or in the treatment of just about any disease that might cause a person to suffer.
And it is based on the universal principle of Qi (energy) that is commonly found throughout Oriental philosophy, which says that energy is found in every living creature and it flows through every body using pathways that are known as meridians.
When this energy flows freely, health is at an optimal level. However, when the energy is blocked, the system is thrown out of balance and thus pain and illness occurs.
In order to explain this using a practical day-to-day example, one can relate this concept to a river overflowing its banks, obviously with disastrous results.
So, the objective of acupuncture is to 'free' the energy that is blocked by stimulating these meridians using tiny needles. And it's as simple as that!
Acupuncture – A Victim of Classical Conditioning
Since the controversy of the effectiveness of acupuncture continues, a study conducted subjected almost 1000 patients with chronic back pain to three courses of treatment:
1) Traditional Acupuncture
2) Fake acupuncture [The Placebo, this case]
3) Drugs, exercise and physical therapy
From the results, it was indicated that almost 45% of (1) and (2) responded positively to the treatment whereas 25% responded positively to (3). So the obvious conclusion was that it did not matter where the needles were inserted but that the patient through conditioning and the expectations of success in using the procedure of acupuncture found immediate 'relief' from back pain, thus nullifying the magic of acupuncture (even if it is true) under the cold scrutiny of the scientific method.
This has seriously worked to the detriment of acupuncture despite many claims that is works wonders for illnesses where modern medicine doesn't have an answer for.
In Closing
There is still speculation about whether acupuncture is effective or not, or just uses classical conditioning and expectations to heal patients but what is certain is that as a therapeutic practice, acupuncture cannot stand on its own.
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