What Does Acupuncture Treat?

As a holistic medicine, acupuncture facilitates a noninvasive way of seeking out the underlying problems associated with both chronic and acute disease in the body. Disease is a pattern of disharmony, or an out of balance, that can lead to pain, discomfort, or emotional distress like depression or anxiety. A body's disease or disharmony is dispelled when the underlying out of balance is corrected. Acupuncture does not simply treat symptoms, it treats the mind, body, and spirit as a whole, addressing the problems as a whole rather than separate parts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the following conditions are just some of the ailments that can be treated using acupuncture:

Respiratory System: Acute sinusitis, acute rhinitis, common cold, acute tonsillitis, acute bronchitis, Bronchial asthma (most effective in children and in patients without complicating diseases), asthma, dyspnea, lung paralysis, pulmonary consumption or abscess

Disorders of the Eye: acute conjunctivitis, central retinitis, myopia (in children), cataract (without complications)

Disorders of the Mouth: Toothache, post-extraction pain, gingivitis, acute and chronic pharyngitis

Gastro-Intestinal: Spasms of the esophagus, hiccup, gastroptosis, Acute and chronic gastritis, abdominal pain, gastric hyperacidity / acid reflux, chronic duodenal ulcer (pain relief), acute and chronic colitis, acute bacillary dysentery, constipation, diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, vomiting

Neurological & Musculo-skeletal: Headache and migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, facial palsy (early stage), paralysis following a stroke, peripheral neuropathies, osteoarthritis, low back pain, sciatica, Meniere's disease, nocturnal enuresis, frozen shoulder

Obstetrics & Gynecology: PMS, menstrual disorders (pain, irregular, etc), disorders of the vagina, disorders of the breast, lower abdominal masses, menopause, infertility, disorders during pregnancy (morning sickness, etc), postpartum disorders

Other: Chronic fatigue, bipolar, narcolepsy, excessive tiredness, angina, heart pain, insomnia, depression, manic psychosis, palpitations, diabetes, enuresis, impotence, urinary tract infection, retention of urine, sexual dysfunction, dizziness, migraine/headache, jaundice, and hypochondrial (rib) pain