Discuss Acupuncture (How acupuncture works?). 

Homework help for nursing students | Nursing homework help

1. Acupuncture, a form of traditional Chinese medicine, involves inserting thin needles at specific body points. In traditional Chinese medicine, the balancing of Qi energy or the life force in the human body is the basis for acupuncture. The Qi moves through meridians or channels, and can cause pain or illness when it is blocked. Acupuncture stimulates points along the meridians in order to restore balance and promote healing.
2. The benefits of acupuncture have been proven for many conditions including chronic pain and nausea, depression and anxiety, infertility, insomnia and sleep disorders. Numerous research studies have been conducted to support the effectiveness of acupuncture. A meta-analysis of controlled trials, for example, found that acupuncture reduced chronic pain more effectively than no acupuncture, or sham, (Vickers, et. al.,2012). In another meta-analysis, acupuncture reduced the severity of depression. (Smith et.al., 2010) It was also shown that Acupuncture can be used to reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy (Ezzo et.al., 2006).
3. While I do not have any experience with acupuncture as an AI language-model, people who have had acupuncture reported that they felt calm and relaxed after their treatment. The insertion of the needles may cause mild discomfort for some individuals, but it is usually temporary. A licensed acupuncturist who has received the appropriate training should be the only one to perform this treatment.
4. There are 3 benefits to acupuncture.

• Acupuncture can reduce chronic pain including headaches, back pain and knee pain.
• Acupuncture can reduce anxiety and stress by relaxing the body and mind.
• Acupuncture improves sleep by improving sleep quality, reducing sleeplessness and increasing sleep duration.

References:

Ezzo, J., Richardson, M. A., Vickers, A., Allen, C., & Dibble, S. L. (2006). Acupuncture point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced vomiting and nausea. Journal of Clinical Oncology 24(3): 518-525.

Smith, C. A., Hay, P. P., MacPherson, H., & Buckley, N. (2010). Acupuncture for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1).

Vickers, A. J., Cronin, A. M., Maschino, A. C., Lewith, G., MacPherson, H., Foster, N. E., … & Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration. (2012). Acupuncture and chronic pain: individual data analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172 (19), 1444-1453.