Chinese Medicine is a health care system that dates back over two thousand years which focuses on holistically achieving harmony and balance within one’s body, mind and emotional systems. Practitioners focus on determining the underlying cause of disease whilst addressing the patients presenting symptoms to achieve disease prevention and well-being. Within Australia Chinese Medicine is a registered profession and thus under national law claims of the efficacy (or success) of a treatment may only be made when there is high or strong evidence. The Acupuncture Evidence Project conducted a review of research in 2017 and concluded that there was both strong and moderate evidence to support the efficacy of Acupuncture for relieving the symptoms of a number of conditions.
There is strong or high quality evidence to support the effectiveness of Acupuncture for the following conditions:
- Tension and chronic headaches;
- Migraine prophylaxis;
- Chronic lower back pain;
- Knee osteoarthritis;
- Allergic rhinitis (perennial & seasonal)
- Postoperative pain;
- Postoperative nausea & vomiting; and
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea & vomiting.
The reviews findings also concluded that there was moderate evidence to support the effectiveness of Acupuncture for the following conditions:
- Depression, anxiety and stress;
- Post traumatic stress disorder;
- Insomnia including peri-menopausal and postmenopausal insomnia;
- Menopausal hot flushes;
- Back or pelvic pain during pregnancy and labour pain;
- Musculoskeletal conditions including acute lower back pain, shoulder impingement syndrome and shoulder pain, sciatica, neck pain, temporomandibular (TMJ) pain, plantar heel pain and lateral elbow pain;
- Post stroke conditions including insomnia, shoulder pain, muscular tightness and spasticity;
- Obesity;
- Digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation;
- Hypertension (in combination with medication;
- Cancer related fatigue and pain;
- Restless leg syndrome; and
- Asthma in adults.
Additionally, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine has been traditionally applied to reduce the symptoms associated with other conditions (please note that current scientific evidence does not exist for these conditions) including:
- Digestive disorders (e.g. Crohn’s disease, GERD, food sensitivities, weight management, malabsorption disorders, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, poor appetite, etc.);
- Autoimmune conditions (e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Psoriatic arthritis, chronic infections etc.);
- Chronic lifestyle diseases (e.g. high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity etc.);
- Gynaecological and Reproductive issues (e.g. menstrual abnormalities, painful periods, PCOS, Endometriosis, PMS, infertility and assistance with IVF, uterine fibroids, low or poor sperm quality etc.);
- Urogenital issues (e.g. UTI’s, incontinence, prostate conditions);
- Fatigue (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, low energy, poor memory and concentration, etc.);
- Sleep disorders;
- Neurological conditions (tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, Bell’s Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis); and
- Dermatological conditions (e.g. Acne, Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Eczema, Rosacea etc.).
Feel free to contact me to see how I can help reduce the symptoms of your condition.