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Description
Justine Andrews, NFS 330: Integrative and Functional Nutrition
Faculty Mentor: Professor Suk Oh, Health, Nutrition and Dietetics
Acupuncture is a therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been widely used to treat many body dysfunctions and especially pain conditions including headaches, migraines, chronic pain, arthritis and more. The principles of TCM and acupuncture state that the human body and food are made of a balance of yin/yang elements and a flow of energy called Qi. When the balance of yin/yang Qi is disrupted, or a blockage in Qi flow occurs, an illness results. Acupuncture is believed to restore the flow of vital energy called Qi and the balance of yin and yang Qi in the body. With this, life is sustained. According to a CDC survey, approximately 55% of American adults experienced some sort of body pains in the past 3 months. Of these, 17% considered their pain severe. The purpose of my research was to find evidence of effectiveness and safety of acupuncture as a method to alleviate symptoms of illness, such as pain. For this, a literature search and review was conducted on this therapy. Results were collected from studies within the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other conducted trials. Both true acupuncture and sham (clinical) acupuncture shown non-placebo effectiveness in treating symptoms on a wide range of diagnoses. Trials also determined some conditions may be successful without additional pain medications. Lastly, acupuncture sessions of 30 minutes over multiple days proved most effective in delivering treatment. This poster presents these results and provides the best treatment using acupuncture.
Publication Date
2020
Recommended Citation
Andrews, Justine, "Acupuncture: An Alternative Medicine for Pain Relief" (2020). Health and Social Work. 22nd Annual Student Research and Creativity Conference. SUNY Buffalo State.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/srcc-sp20-hlthsw/1
