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Alternative Medicine Alternative Medicine Basics

Relieving Pain and Restoring Balance with Acupuncture

Summary & Participants

Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most widely used medical treatments in the world. Find out why.

Medically Reviewed On: August 12, 2008

Webcast Transcript

TALI, MIGRAINE SUFFERER: I just was tired of taking all these medications. It doesn’t make me feel good.

ANNOUNCER: After years of trying different prescription drugs for her migraines, Tali has turned to acupuncture for relief.

TALI, MIGRAINE SUFFERER: I have been without migraines for a while now, but it’s not just a migraine. There are so many side effects too, good things. I feel more well, I feel well balanced, less anxieties. I feel less stressed.

ROBERT ABRAMSON, DDS, MD, ACUPUNCTURIST: People seek this out because of the emotional and, in a sense, spiritual aspects of it, you know? I mean, people in today’s society are very, very stressed out.

ANNOUNCER: Acupuncture began in China thousands of years ago. The traditional theory behind it is that energy, or chi. flows along pathways in the body called meridians. People feel ill when that energy is blocked.

ROBERT ABRAMSON, DDS, MD, ACUPUNCTURIST: And the idea is, the acupuncture, going into these meridians, these specific points with needles opens up the channels, lets things start to move and lets the body’s natural healing abilities flow.

ANNOUNCER: Although studies show that acupuncture can help ease pain and nausea, scientists haven’t yet been able to figure out why. Some say acupuncture may release endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers. Others say it may affect blood flow. But Dr. Abramson believes the Chinese got it right.

ROBERT ABRAMSON, DDS, MD, ACUPUNCTURIST: I’ve been doing this for over 35 years, you know, and I have a, you know, DDS degree and an MD degree. I think there’s something to the chi. you can’t do a cat scan of it, in a sense, you know, the way we do in conventional western medicine. But it’s there, you know, and it does affect us.

TALI, MIGRAINE SUFFERER: I feel much more balanced. My head seems clearer. It’s like I can’t even explain it. I feel just, I feel altogether better.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.