Treatment of Chronic Fatigue With Acupuncture

Acupuncture, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), evolved three thousand years ago and is mainly used in the West for treating chronic pain. Despite there being considerable controversy regarding its value as therapy, a good number of people all over the world still prefer to rely on acupuncture and other ancient methods of healing such as Ayurveda and Naturopathy.

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How acupuncture works

The science behind most of the traditional healing methods lies in the fact that the human body itself possesses the mystical powers of healing. This holds true, especially when we consider the immune system, how it protects the body from the attacks of foreign materials every day, and how well-crafted it is. However, when the body is not properly maintained, often due to improper diet and lifestyle, the self-healing power of the body gets weaker, needing some external stimulation to get back into balance.

That’s when acupuncture comes into play. Acupuncture helps restore the body’s balance by stimulating the ‘acupoints’ or acupuncture points spread throughout the body which improve the flow of energy through the body and remove blockages, if any. Acupuncture is based on the philosophy that energy flows just below the surface of the skin and each pathway of energy, called meridians, corresponds to a particular organ. An obstruction in the path of energy flow causes dis-ease. Needles are inserted in the specific locations on the pathway, called acupuncture points, to remove the obstruction and correct the imbalance.

Acupuncture to combat fatigue

Hectic lifestyle and multitasking have resulted in people succumbing to stress and other related ailments. If you’re one of those who get up in the morning feeling tired and feel like your body weighs a hundred pounds, you may be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. Sometimes, it may be a result of inadequate sleep, or improper lifestyle habits or even deficiency of certain essential nutrients; but whatever it is, acupuncture may help bring relief.

A recent study conducted in the University of Manchester found that breast cancer patients, who suffered from extreme tiredness and fatigue, can benefit from acupuncture sessions. This relief is not just limited to physical but also mental boundaries, thus improving the overall quality of life. The controlled clinical trial involved 302 breast cancer patients with extreme fatigue, of which 75 were assigned to usual care and 227 were assigned to acupuncture plus usual care. The results showed that at 6 weeks, fatigue dropped by almost four points on the 0 to 20 scale in the group where patients received acupuncture. The authors of the study concluded that ‘acupuncture is an effective intervention for managing the symptom of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and improving patients’ quality of life’.

Acupuncture helps release endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain alleviators, proving to be outstanding treatment options for different pains like migraine, toothache and even childbirth.

The points SP 3, SP 6, SP 9 and ST 36 are the best acupoints that help tone your life-force energy, clear heat and make you feel more energetic than you normally do. Since acupuncture treatments is a specialized procedure that cannot be done by just anyone, pressing on these points with your fingers can also bring about significant positive effects.

Locating these points is easy. Once you get the idea of the location, apply pressure all over the area to find out a specific point that is tender than the rest of the area. Apply moderate, ‘feel-good’ pressure to the tender point for 3 minutes twice a day and enjoy an energetic day.

Reference:

http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2012/10/29/JCO.2012.41.6222.abstract

http://www.londonacupuncture.co.uk/showCondition.asp?ArticleID=25

Source-Medindia