Acupuncture In Modern Healthcare

Several national acupuncture associations worked together this past year to publish a whitepaper on the role acupuncture has to play in opioid epidemic. You can read more about that here or download the full 21 page report here. The two main points are that acupuncture is safe and effective for pain as a first line treatment and that acupuncture is an effective adjunct therapy in treating opioid addiction.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria And Acupuncture

Also this week, wired published an article titled: The Post-Antibiotic Era Is Here. Now What? detailing the rise of antibiotic resistance bacteria declaring:

Folks are dying simply because there is no antibiotic available to treat their infection, infections that not too long ago were easily treatable.

As the article points out, millions of lives have been saved by the use of antibiotics and the development of new and different classes of antibiotics. Western medicine has made great advances since the development of penicilin. I, for my part, would not want to give up these amazing advances. However, it seems we may be reaching the limits of modern science in treating the human body and protecting our health. Acupuncture and Asian medicine have always been rooted in nourishing health and "preventive medicine" as alopathic physicians often call it. While great advances in the treatment of disease have been made in modern science, modern physicians are just now coming around to the idea that doctors can prevent disease rather than wait for a patient to get sick.

So what role does acupuncture have to play in the post-antibiotic era? The first is that acupuncture can help people avoid serious bacterial infections. There are no guarantees or magic bullets, and any doctor who tells you otherwise is selling something. However, we know that acupuncture has a regulatory effect on the immune system. Many of the diseases that respond well to acupuncture in clinical trials are, or are thought to be, auto-imune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the best evidence points to acupuncture as a treatment for allergies, which is just an improper immune response to some stimulant (eg pollen). So regular and consistent treatment with acupuncture can regulate and support a patient's immune system to help them avoid or recover quickly from infections.

This has an effect at every level of the health-care system. Acupuncture, and especially herbs, can be a treatment for patients with pan-resistant bacteria. Many herbs have antimicrobial properties and may be an aid where conventional antibiotics have failed. By regulating the immune system with acupuncture and herbs, the patient may be able to better fight off the infection and recover without antibiotics. Like I said above, it's far from a guarantee but if just one patient lives through a life threatening infection because they went to an acupuncturist, isn't it worth it? Of course by keeping people healthy, fewer people will get infections in the first place. Less infections means less antibiotic use overall, which decreases the development of new antibiotic resistant strains. It also helps prevent the spread of already resistant strains.

First Line of Defense

In acupuncture theory, our bodies are protected by wei qi which circulates outside and within the skin and pores. Wei qi is governed by the lung meridian, and has many analogues with the western immune system. When pathogens first invade the body, it is the wei qi that response to heal us. In regards to bacterial infections and resistant strains, modern medicine would be wise to use acupuncture as a first line of defense, like wei qi. This would reduce the number of antibiotics prescribed for minor infections and slow the development of resistant strains of bacteria. If acupuncture and herbs fail to control the infection, or if the infection is already serious/life-threatening when the patient is seen, antibiotics can still be used. The herb Huang Qin has antibiotic properties and has been shown to increase the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics.

The reduction of use of antibiotics alone should be enough to justify acupuncturists as the first line of defense in minor to moderate infections. Reduction of antibiotic use will absolutely decrease the development and spread of new antibiotic resistant strains. Perhaps we won't prevent the end of effectiveness of all antibiotics, but it may extend the time period when they are useful. It will also save the use of antibiotics to serious cases, giving us the most benefit from antibiotics when they are effective. The side effects of acupuncture are also very minor. However the presence of moderate to severe allergic reactions to antibiotics is a documented fact, and can sometimes be fatal. As a side note, I was hospitalized for a week or so due to a very adverse reaction to an antibiotic. I would much rather have the peaceful feeling that I get after an acupuncture treatment!

Better Together

Integrating acupuncture and Asian medicine into the modern health-care system provides the best care for all patients. By relying on the strengths of each system of care, both allopathic and traditional, individuals and communities will be nourished and healthy. Acupuncture has a role to play at every level in the healthcare system, from primary care and wellness to end of life care and every step in between. Of course, acupuncturists should work with our allopathic colleuges to ensure that our patients receive the best that modern science has to offer them, especially in serious illness.

These have been some of my initial thoughts on the role of acupuncture in modern health-care. Please join the conversation in the comments!