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Acupuncture is a traditional therapy used to treat a variety of health-related problems. It involves assessment of the condition and development of a differential diagnosis followed by the insertion and manipulation of thin, solid metal needles at specific locations on the body. Various techniques are used to stimulate the needles and improve the therapeutic effects, including manual manipulation or adding a mild electrical current.
There are many different types of acupuncture. For example, auricular acupuncture involves placement of stainless steel or gold (semipermanent) needles, or “studs” at specific points on the ears. These are often left in place for 3–5 days. Other treatments such as acupressure (applying pressure or massaging acupoints), gua sha(scraping), moxibustion, and cupping are also used as adjuncts to acupuncture therapy. Moxibustion is a technique for providing heat to the needles. It involves placement...
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References and Readings
Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Laurel, MD. Accessed September 7, 2011, from http://acaom.org/
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Helms, J. M. (1997). Acupuncture energetics: A clinical approach for physicians. Berkeley, CA: Medical Acupuncture.
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Jacksonville, Fl. Accessed September 7, 2011, from http://www.nccaom.org/
National Institutes of Health (NIH) & National Cancer Institute (NCI). Acupuncture PDQ. Bethesda, MD. Accessed September 7, 2011, from http://www.cancer.gov/
National Institutes of Health (NIH) & National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Bethesda, MD. Accessed September 7, 2011 from http://nccam.nih.gov/
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World Health Organization. (2002). WHO traditional medicine strategy 2002–2005. Geneva: World Health Organization.
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Cohen, L., Garcia, M.K. (2013). Acupuncture. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_783
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_783
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