About Acupuncture and Laser Acupuncture

Acupuncture is said to be one of the most ancient and characteristic techniques of Chinese medicine.

From ancient times, this acupuncture technique was valuable in the treatment of both acute and chronic diseases. It was also mentioned in the history of early civilization that the African tribes of Bunti, the Arabian Tigris, the ancient Egyptians and Indians also practiced some kind of acupuncture in their treatment of ailments.

It was said to have been practiced in the Stone Age with stone needles. The Eskimos still use sharpened stones for treating illness.

In times of war, soldiers who were struck by arrows in certain parts of the body, found themselves cured of ailments in other parts of the body. So, curious persons started to wonder whether there was any relation between pricks on the skin surface and cure of the internal organ.

Acupuncture is totally harmless when compared to western medicines which could cause reactions or side effects. It is very useful for treatment in most chronic disorders and was said to be very effective in the treatment of the bronchial asthma, diabetes, residual paralysis of polio, deafness, arthritis–joint pains, back–ache, cervical spondylosis, head pain, osteoarthritis, knee joint, frozen shoulder, hypertension, sciatica, hemiplegia, paraplegia, migraine, speech disorders, allergy, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, insomnia and many other conditions.

I came across this Utusan article today on acupuncture focusing on its latest treatment using laser technology:

Inovasi teknologi akupuntur Oleh mariatul qatiah zakaria

Alas, acupuncture may not be that traditional or conventional anymore.

I suddenly found myself immersed (for the next three hours) with the Internet's vast resources to enlighten myself on this subject.

Actually Utusan has already published another topic on this subject about a year ago with a similar title:

Inovasi rawatan akupuntur Oleh NOOR FAZRINA KAMAL

There are so many things I don't actually know about this amazing technique (categorized under complimentary medicine) which claims to be able to help cure so many ailments and diseases. It may sound like quack to many a skeptics, but I wouldn't want to be too sure about that.

So, this attempt at finding out about more on this subject has given me the impetus to write this entry, but it will be just a preliminary review on the subject as seen from a layman's insight.

The procedure of conventional acupuncture is by inserting and manipulating needles into various points on the body. The needles are pricked as deep as a third to an inch into the skin depending on the type of ailments and the physical condition of the patient. But before that the acupuncturist needs to decide which points to treat by observing and questioning the patient in order to make a diagnosis.

If the patient is not strong, feels uncomfortable or phobic with needles, then inserting the needles in the patient will not be effective.

As such, the conventional method of acupuncture are now being developed by utilizing laser technology innovated from Korea. The ancient way of using long tiny needles are no longer considered hygienic, but this new method utilizing laser technology is also said to be quick and painless.

The method is also called Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). LLLT has primarily been shown useful in the short-term treatment of acute pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

I did a random check on the Internet to see if there are scientific research done on this and this is what I found:

In 2003, the World Health Organization published an article synthesizing the scientific research (controlled trials) of the time, and concluded acupuncture is helpful for the treatment of pain in some cases of acute epigastralgia, facial pain, headache, knee pain, low back pain, neck pain, pain in dentistry, postoperative pain, renal colic, and sciatica. The authors also concluded acupuncture has demonstrated effectiveness in other conditions for which further proof is needed. 

An analysis of the 13 highest quality studies of pain treatment with acupuncture, published in January 2009 in the British Medical Journal, concluded there was little difference in the effect of real, sham and no acupuncture.(2)

A 2007 review concluded that low level laser therapy (LLLT) may be effective in reducing inflammation and pain, while a 2008 Cochrane collaboration review concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the use of LLLT in the management of low back pain.

Stephen Barrett, writing for Quackwatch, concluded there was evidence to support LLLT use for temporary pain relief, but "there's no reason to believe that they will influence the course of any ailment or are more effective than other forms of heat delivery."

Insurance company Cigna has reviewed the evidence for LLLT and concluded that it is still considered an experimental treatment therefore does not provide coverage for it.

The effects of LLLT appear to be limited to a specified set of wavelengths of laser and though more research is required to determine the ideal wavelengths, durations of treatment, dose and location of treatment (specifically whether LLLT is more appropriately used over nerves versus joints.)

Therefore administering LLLT below the dose range does not appear to be effective. The factors of wavelength, effective dose, dose-rate effects, beam penetration, the role of coherence, and pulses (peak power and repetition rates) are still poorly understood in the clinical setting.