Western medical acupuncture is a therapeutic modality involving the insertion of
fine needles; it is an adaptation of Chinese acupuncture using current knowledge
of anatomy, physiology and pathology, and the principles of evidence based
medicine. While Western medical acupuncture has evolved from Chinese
acupuncture, its practitioners no longer adhere to concepts such as
Yin/Yang and circulation of
qi, and regard acupuncture as part of conventional medicine
rather than a complete “alternative medical system”. It acts mainly by
stimulating the nervous system, and its known modes of action include local
antidromic axon reflexes, segmental and extrasegmental neuromodulation, and
other central nervous system effects. Western medical acupuncture is principally
used by conventional healthcare practitioners, most commonly in primary care. It
is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, including myofascial trigger point
pain. It is also effective for postoperative pain and nausea. Practitioners of
Western medical acupuncture tend to pay less attention than classical
acupuncturists to choosing one point over another, though they generally choose
classical points as the best places to stimulate the nervous system. The design
and interpretation of clinical studies is constrained by lack of knowledge of
the appropriate dosage of acupuncture, and the likelihood that any form of
needling used as a usual control procedure in “placebo controlled” studies may
be active. Western medical acupuncture justifies an unbiased evaluation of its
role in a modern health service.
