An introduction to western medical acupuncture PDF
Preview An introduction to western medical acupuncture
AnimprintofElsevierLimited #2008,ElsevierLimited.Allrightsreserved. TherightsofAdrianWhite,MikeCummingsandJacquelineFilshietobeidentifiedasauthorsof thisworkhasbeenassertedbytheminaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct 1988. Nopart ofthis publication may be reproduced, storedin aretrieval system, or transmitted in anyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,without thepriorpermissionofthePublishers.PermissionsmaybesoughtdirectlyfromElsevier’sHealth SciencesRightsDepartment,1600JohnF.KennedyBoulevard,Suite1800,Philadelphia,PA19103- 2899,USA:phone:(þ1)2152393804;fax:(þ1)2152393805;or,e-mail:healthpermissions@ elsevier.com.Youmayalsocompleteyourrequeston-lineviatheElsevierhomepage(http://www. elsevier.com),byselecting‘Supportandcontact’andthen‘CopyrightandPermission’. Firstpublished2008 ISBN-13:978-0-443-07177-5 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress Notice Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperience broadenourknowledge,changesinpractice,treatmentanddrugtherapymaybecomenecessaryor appropriate.Readersareadvisedtocheckthemostcurrentinformationprovided(i)onprocedures featuredor(ii)bythemanufacturerofeachproducttobeadministered,toverifytherecommended dose or formula, the method and duration of administration, and contraindications. It is the responsibilityofthepractitioner,relyingontheirownexperienceandknowledgeofthepatient,to makediagnoses,todeterminedosagesandthebesttreatmentforeachindividualpatient,andto takeallappropriatesafetyprecautions.Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernor theEditorsassumesanyliabilityforanyinjuryand/ordamagetopersonsorpropertyarisingoutor relatedtoanyuseofthematerialcontainedinthisbook. ThePublisher The publisher's policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests PrintedinChina Foreword This excellent, authoritative and well-referenced book is in a class of its own because it is for the first time that the recently developed Western approach to acupuncture, based on the present-day neurophysiologic princi- ples described in its pages, has been written about in such a lucid and wide- ranging manner. All the various aspects of the subject are dealt with both comprehensively and cogently and from the information provided there can be no doubt that this particular form of acupuncture has a sound scientific basis and that its employment for certain well-defined disorders is becoming ever increasingly evidence-based. It has been written by three eminent members of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, an organisation which over the 26 years since its incep- tion has done so much to bring the principles and practice of scientifically- based acupuncture within the ambit of present-day orthodox medicine. I therefore commend this book to all health professionals. The time has come when those who don’t necessarily wish to use acupuncture themselves should nonetheless be aware of the indications for its employment so that they may be in a position to refer suitable patients where appropriate. Those who do wish to add it to their existing therapeutic skills will find this particular treatise to be an invaluable mine of information. PeterBaldryMB; FRCP Preface There are numerous textbooks devoted to acupuncture, covering both theo- retical and practical aspects of the therapy. The majority of books focus on traditional theory and practice, but this one takes quite a different view. It combines the latest ideas about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acu- puncture with a practical approach that is directed largely by those mechan- isms. Classical point locations and names are retained because they are usefulandwellknown,butthisbooklaysmuchgreateremphasisontheirseg- mental innervation than on any concepts of meridians. Western medical acupuncture is used following an orthodox diagnosis and applies scientific principles, taking account of this diagnosis, to formulate a treatment to relieve symptoms. It is just one therapeutic method alongside others, and fits perfectly into the wider approach of the whole of Western medicine, which considers both the psychosocial and the physical wellbeing of the individual. Thus, Western medicine that includes this form of acupuncture is one example of truly integrated medicine: a traditional therapy has been investi- gated,re-interpretedwithinamodernscientificcontext,andfinallyincorporated, whereappropriate,withinmodernhealthcare. This book is a long-awaited companion to Medical Acupuncture: a Western Scientific Approach. Acknowledgements This book represents the ideas, knowledge and wisdom of many people, and the authors are grateful to everyone with whom they have had conversation, or whose articles they have read or lectures they have heard, and who have contributed in some way or other to this work, which tries to make sense ofacupunctureintermsofWesternscience.Theyareliterallytoomanytolist here, and the references at the end of the book give some indication of the number and diversity of researchers who are engaged in the project of under- standing acupuncture. We are also grateful for the help, patience and profes- sionalism of Karen Morley and Kerry McGechie at Elsevier. Despitethebestintentionsofalltheabove,wewillinglyacceptresponsibility foranyerrorsoromissions. Glossary Term Description Please note: a list of classical meridians and their standard abbreviations appears in Tables 16.6 and 16.7 on page 218 action potentials A nerve’s electrical response to stimulation; for example, by an acupuncture needle. The action potentialstravel(or‘propagate’)alongthenerve fibre to the synapse (see below) acupuncture point Traditionally, a precise location where the needle should be inserted. Interpreted more loosely here affective (component of pain) Theemotionalaspectofpain,whichistroubling or upsetting; ‘the pain is awful’ afferent nerve A nerve that brings information from the periphery towards the central nervous system – sensory nerve analgesia Analgesia strictly means complete removal of pain, but ‘acupuncture analgesia’ means pain reduction, often used in conjunction with anaesthesia from drugs auricular acupuncture Acupuncture in which needles are inserted into the external ear autonomic nerves Nerves responsible for controlling the body’s functions that are not within conscious control channel (¼meridian) Invisiblelinesonthesurfaceofthebody connectingacupuncturepoints.Nophysical structuretoexplainthesechannelshasbeen found.IntraditionalChinesemedicine,channels arebelievedtobetheroutefortheflowof‘qi’ de qi Chinese word for needle sensation, literally ‘numbness, distension, heaviness and ache’; also tingling and spreading sensation dermatome Theareaofbodysurfaceinnervatedbyasensory nerve from a single spinal segment dorsal horn The part of the grey matter within the spinal segment where afferent nerves terminate
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