By David L. Podos
For many people when hearing about acupuncture as a healing modality they often feel a bit queasy. This comes from a limited knowledge about this ancient traditional Chinese medicine that has a history of over 2,000 years and uses needles to activate and promote the body’s inherent healing potential.
For many, the queasiness they experience primary comes from having a phobia about needles, what is known as trypanophobia, which affects nearly 25% of adults.
These people have a difficult time getting basic vaccinations due to their needle phobia and often delay or avoid any vaccinations. However, if one does a little research regarding acupuncture, they will see that the needles used are extremely thin and practically are pain-free to the patient. So, whether you have an extreme phobia of needles or are just a bit apprehensive about the use of needles in a therapeutic setting, you would do yourself a great favor to speak to someone who is a licensed acupuncturist who can explain the process.
Western medicine, which at one time rejected acupuncture, has now accepted it as a complementary and integrative therapy to alleviate pain, reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and enhance post-operative recovery to name just a few areas. In regard to pain management, there is an epidemic of people suffering from chronic pain in this country. Some estimates are as high as 50 million adults struggling from pain that lasts more than three months.
From the National Institute of Health, a major meta-analysis found that 85-90% of people who have used acupuncture for their pain, the reduction in their pain continued for a full year after receiving their final treatment. In another landmark research outcome analysis conducted by PubMed Central, it clearly shows that a study involving more than 20,000 patients had significant long-lasting improvements in chronic musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, headaches and shoulder pain.
Another sign of acupunctures acceptance as a healing modality is the increasing number of hospitals and healthcare clinics that offer acupuncture. This acceptance is escalated by several key factors such as increasing patient demand, as well as growing evidence of its efficacy in treating a wide array of diseases such as its ability as an adjunct therapy for Parkinson’s disease, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as supporting the patient in recovering from a stroke by improving motor function.
In the greater Utica area, licensed acupuncturist Thomas Kupiec has been offering his expertise and helping his patients for more than 10 years. He owns TRK Acupuncture in Yorkville.
After graduating with a bachelor’s in liberal arts, Kupiec went on to attend acupuncture school at Yo San University in Los Angles California, a highly regarded university in the fields of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. The curriculum takes four years to finish and upon completion he received his master’s in traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Kupiec realizes that many people do have fear or a misconception about the needles that are used when considering acupuncture.
“The main difference in the needles that we as acupuncturists use is quite significant. In comparison to the needle that is used when you go to your doctor’s office when receiving a shot, [a hypodermic needle], the needles we use are almost as thin as a strand of human hair. Also, unlike other needles, our needles do not draw blood,” he said.
While acupuncture can help in a variety of disease states, Kupiec sees a lot of people who are dealing with pain.
“In this area, what people know acupuncture for mostly is pain. So, I see many people with low back pain, sciatic pain, neck pain, upper back pain. That said, I have also been seeing patients that have Lyme disease, which is a huge problem in this area. One of the best ways to treat it is with Chinese herbal medicine which I can offer. Even though many people will say that there is no recovery for Lyme disease and that if infected, you will have to live with it all your life, is simply not true. Of course, if not treated, yes, then the person will have chronic Lyme disease for their entire life. However, with the correct Chinese herbal medicines in conjunction with traditional antibiotics, it is considered highly beneficial for comprehensive recovery,” he said. “I also work with veterans in helping to relieve pain and PTSD.”