The Benefits of Acupuncture

Let’s get right to the point—being a human pincushion can be surprisingly comfortable. Acupuncture can ease hormonal disorders and pain, and studies now show that it can help cancer patients, too. Postmenopausal breast cancer affects thousands of Australian women every year, but the lifesaving drugs that doctors prescribe to prevent its recurrence (aromatase inhibitors, or AIs) can have such extreme side effects that half of the women taking them stop. That’s where acupuncture can help: studies have shown that its soothing effects significantly reduce the joint pain associated with AI treatment.

In 2010, a US study from Columbia University Medical Center revealed that women taking AIs who had acupuncture twice a week for six weeks reported 70% less pain, compared with patients who received placebo acupuncture. In fact, one in five of them felt so much better that he or she actually stopped taking painkillers altogether.

“Acupuncture may interfere with pain pathways,” says Dr Dawn Hershman, lead author and co-director of the breast-cancer program at New York’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We hope to prove that acupuncture is truly effective for AI joint pain, so we can influence insurers to pay for it.”

Another promising development (especially for the needlephobes among us!) is in the related field of acupressure. New research shows that acupressure, which involves pressing trigger points along the body’s meridians—channels that practitioners link to our energy flow—can create calm and enhance brain function in some people. Theresa Hernández, PhD, associate chair of the department of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado in the US, has proof.

When she studied people who had suffered a mild-to-moderate brain injury, she split them into two groups: the first group had twice-weekly 40-minute sessions of a type of acupressure called Jin Shin; the second had placebo acupressure. After just four weeks, those who had received genuine acupressure not only experienced better memory and attention but also enjoyed less stress and anxiety.

Hernández attributes this welcome result to acupressure’s ability to increase what she calls ‘stress resilience’—something that’s vital for everyone, not just for people battling ill health. What’s even more exciting for those of us embracing the complementary-therapy revolution is that you can perform acupressure on yourself or on a family member, as it’s extremely easy to learn.

What It Means for You
These therapies can help ease conditions such as fatigue, pain and allergies, and even minimise the side effects of chemotherapy, although you may have some out-of-pocket expenses. If you want to try either, seek out an accredited practitioner. To find an acupuncturist, visit acupuncture.org.au. For acupressure therapists in your area, visit naturaltherapypages.com.

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