What do patients say about acupuncture?

In the pages under 'What acupuncture can treat' on this site, you'll find some of the things patients have said about their acupuncture treatment in my clinic. On a much wider scale, Claire Cassidy, a medical anthropologist, explores what patients say about their experiences of acupuncture in her book, Contemporary Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (Cassidy C.M. 1997). She analysed hundreds of narratives offered in interviews, or in response to open-ended questions, and found that patients reported high levels of satisfaction with their treatment. They found particular benefit in the following four areas:

Here are some the patients in her research talking about their experiences:

ASTHMA

"I have had allergic bronchial asthma for 21 years. Acupuncture has greatly reduced my use of prescription inhalation medicine."

ENDOMETRIOSIS

"The most significant changes were the pain before my period and the typical premenstrual symptoms like breast tenderness and crankiness. Within 6-8 weeks of treatment, I would say 60% of my symptoms were gone: breasts swelling and tenderness, headaches, the clotting. I used to have huge clots. I'm not bleeding as heavily as I was before acupuncture."

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

"I feel like I've had very positive results. I don't have inflammation in the way that I did before. Acupuncture keeps the inflammation under control and helps with pain."

KNEE PROBLEMS

"I began seeing an acupuncturist... for continuing knee problems though I had arthroscopy and major surgery. The acupuncture treatments helped my knees within 2 months. I began to get stronger in every way (more energy, clearer skin) and enjoyed my visits. I began to use acupuncture and herbs for everything from colds to stomach aches to hormonal problems."

CHRONIC COLDS

"Even my family noticed it. The fact that last winter I had 7 or 8 colds, and they would last 2-3 weeks. Whereas this winter I've had one cold. It lasted 2 days and I was back on track."

STRESS

"It's just such a new concept that your body knows what's wrong with it! I think I've become more aware of my health and that I have to eat and I have to relax and not take things so seriously"

Why do People come for Acupuncture?

In 2002, a survey of nearly 9,500 patients of BAcC members asked people why they came for acupuncture treatment (MacPherson et al 2006). The most common main complaints were:

74% of patients were female, 73% were either self-referred or recommended by family/friends/colleagues, 78% had already consulted their doctor and 95% paid for their own treatment. The survey also found that 5% of acupuncture patients consulted primarily for treatment for general wellbeing, and these patients were significantly more likely to be men under the age of 55. The concept of general well-being is a common phenomenon in Chinese medicine, and reflects the philosophy of this medicine that has a focus of balancing Qi in the body to promote health. Cassidy, in a survey of 575 patients of Chinese medicine clinics in the US, found a high proportion (63%) of patients that gave "well-care" as one of potentially multiple reasons for having sought care from the clinic. If you are interested in having treatment, please contact Harriet.

References

Cassidy CM, Emad M. What patients say about Chinese medicine (in) Contemporary Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. (1997) Churchill Livingstone

MacPherson H, Sinclair-Lian N, Thomas K. Patients seeking care from acupuncture practitioners in the UK: A national survey. Complement Ther Med. 2006;14(1):20-30

Cassidy CM. Chinese medicine users in the United States. Part I: Utilization, satisfaction, medical plurality. J Altern Comp Med 1998;4(1):17-27.

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