Dating back over 5,000 years, acupuncture can trace its roots in ancient Chinese medicine. In this present century, it appears that the United States is only now starting to study the layers of possibility regarding the use of acupuncture in several different areas of healthcare.
Western medicine all too often views acupuncture as a type of complementary treatment holding an inferior position next to pharmaceutical treatments and chemical medications. But licensed acupuncturists have been able to consistently prove that their treatment is as much effective and oftentimes, even better than Western medicine.
Western medicine faces a lot of health challenges, with PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder being one of the most hard to treat. It cannot boast that it has been able to fully address chronic pain, which is a sad reminder of this treatment’s woeful inadequacies. In the United States, chronic pain is the leading cause of adult disability and it strikes over a hundred million Americans each year. However, this number is dwarfed by the recent report that an average of 22 veterans and active duty soldiers kill themselves each day. Clearly other options need to be considered to stop this horrible problem.
Sleep and PTSD
It is a sad testimony to the state of affairs of the US that military personnel are deemed as second only to the agendas set by the military industrial complex. Clearly, the criminal wars that the US has waged since Vietnam up to the catastrophe that was the Iraq invasion have been the biggest reasons for the high rates of suicide, broken lives, and PTSD among the soldiers of this country.
The connection between PTSD and sleeping difficulties has been verified in one study. A link exists between less suicides and better/ increased sleep. Providing better sleep patterns has been one of the greatest benefits of acupuncture in Jacksonville. This can give PTSD sufferers some glimmer of hope. We can definitely say that acupuncture has the ability to dramatically reduce the symptoms and rates of suicide among PTSD patients. Acupuncturist Without Borders is a non-profit organization that has assisted PTSD-afflicted veterans through its Military Stress Recovery Project.
Sessions of acupuncture therapies should be included for every pharmaceutical medication prescribed to a military veteran diagnosed with PTSD, at the very least. Financial considerations aside, this is obviously a very good idea since acupuncture has proven to work for PTSD and its cost is a drop in the bucket compared to that of pharmaceutical drugs pushed by Western physicians.
Battlefield Acupuncture
When taught to personal and medical staff, the merit of acupuncture can be of huge benefit in disaster and active battle zones as proven by a growing body of research. Stimulating vital acupuncture points (found oftentimes in the ear) and the need for minimal materials has made the use of acupuncture a very practical way of aiding soldiers fighting on multiple fronts.
One of the limitations of current military logistics is that when they suffer from chronic and acute pain, our soldiers too often have limited access to medicines on the battlefield. It has been shown that acupuncture eliminates or alleviates both chronic and acute pain instantly. Along with regular protocols, when performing acupuncture soon after an incident, it can lessen the likelihood of that person developing PTSD that may take root in his psyche.
Acupuncture Removes Pain Several Studies Confirm
Acupuncture also possesses no addictive qualities as compared to pharmaceutical prescription drugs. This helps the solider live a rather healthy lifestyle when he goes back to civilian life without suffering from the side effects of pharmaceutical medications and without any risk of addiction to said medications.
Conscious Surgery
In China, patients administered with acupuncture are awake and conscious during surgery but do not feel the pain of their operation. Thanks to acupuncture, some Western hospitals may offer that option in the near future. A US based acupuncturist known as Ramon Nuñez recently made waves when he underwent such a technique. This brave man opted to undergo a major knee surgery not medicated and fully awake with only acupuncture to help numb the pain.
In all these we can see why acupuncture needs to be part of a new paradigm that will lead us away from extremely toxic pharmaceutical drugs.