Acupuncture: New Uses for an Ancient Remedy
Specific Purpose: To inform you about the use of the ancient Chinese remedy of acupuncture in modern Western medicine.
Central Idea: I want to inform you about the use of acupuncture in Western medicine byexplaining what happens when you receive an acupuncture treatment, how acupuncture works, the kinds of medical conditions that can be treated with acupuncture, and the growing use of acupuncture in combination with Western medical techniques.
Introduction
I.Six months ago, my 78-year-old grandmother was quickly losing her independence.
II.Pain medications helped somewhat, but the side effects created their own problems.
III.Then my grandmother tried acupuncture.
A.After six weeks, she could once again do the things her arthritis had prevented
her from doing.
B.Acupuncture restored her quality of life and her independence.
IV.Performed for over 2,000 years in China and other parts of Asia, acupuncture is
becoming more popular in the United States and other Western countries.
V.Impressed by my grandmother’s experience, I began acupuncture treatments for my
migraine headaches, and now the headaches completely disappeared.
VI.I wanted to learn more about this medical treatment that produced such incredible
results for both my grandmother and me.
VII.Today I will share part of what I have learned by explaining what happens when you
receive an acupuncture treatment, how acupuncture works, the kinds of medical
conditions that can be treated with acupuncture, and the growing use of acupuncture
in combination with Western medical techniques.
(Transition: Let’s start by looking at a typical acupuncture treatment.)
Body
I.Acupuncture is the insertion of needles into the skin to achieve a balanced flow of
energy, which in turn restores and preserves health.
A.Acupuncturists in the United States use sterilized needles that are individually
packaged and are disposed of after a single use.
B.The needles are so thin that the process is essentially painless.
1.Acupuncture needles are much smaller than the needles used for drawing
blood or getting shots.
2.Here are some needles I received from my acupuncturist and will pass around
after my speech.
a.They are so thin that you can hardly tell when they are inserted.
b.There is usually no sensation other than pain relief once they have been
inserted.
C.After being left in for 20 to 30 minutes while you lie in a darkened room, the
needles are removed, and your treatment is over.
(Transition: Now that you know what happens when you are treated by an acupuncturist, you’re probably wondering how acupuncture works.)
II.Acupuncture works by improving the flow of energy in the body.
A.The process is explained by Dr. Felix Mann in Acupuncture: The Ancient
Chinese Art of Healing and How It Works Scientifically.
B.Traditional Chinese medicine holds that every life process is based on the flow
of vital energy through the body.
C.This energy – known in Chinese as qi – flows along channels or pathways called
meridians.
1.The meridians cover the entire body, running from the top of the head to the
bottom of the feet and down both arms.
2.When the free flow of energy through these meridians is blocked, the result
is pain, illness, disease, or other physical problems.
D.The aim of acupuncture is to restore the open flow of energy through the
meridians.
1.This is done by placing the needles at specific points on the meridians.
2.Altogether there are more than 1,000 acupuncture points on the meridians.
3.In China there is a saying: “There is no pain if there is free flow; if there is
pain, there is no free flow.”
III.The evidence is clear that acupuncture works in treating a wide range of medical
conditions.
A.The World Health Organization lists more than 40 conditions that can be
effectively treated with acupuncture.
B.A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirms that acupuncture relieves
low back pain.
C.The American Cancer Society reports that acupuncture may help smokers kick
their habit.
D.People also use acupuncture to build the immune system, to control allergies, and
to combat depression and anxiety.
E.You can’t use acupuncture to heal a broken arm, but people in Asia often use it
during surgery instead of Western anesthesia, and it can speed recovery time
after surgery.
IV.A number of clinics and hospitals are combining acupuncture with Western
medicine to provide their patients the benefits of both.
A.Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has added acupuncture to its wellness
center.
B.Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer of the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA says that
acupuncture “really does help. Most children accept acupuncture, and in fact,
really feel good about it.”
C.Neurologist Allan Gordon, Director of the Wasser Pain Management Center at
Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada, says that adding acupuncture to the
hospital expands “the treatment available to chronic pain sufferers” and provides
“multiple options for care to our patients.”
D.The National Institutes for Health report that more than 8 million Americans
have tried acupuncture, and its use throughout the rest of the Western world is
growing fast.
Conclusion
I.Today we have learned what happens during an acupuncture treatment, how
acupuncture works, some of the illnesses that can be treated with acupuncture, and
the growing integration of acupuncture with Western approaches to medicine.
II.After years of skepticism, the West is finally beginning to recognize that
acupuncture is a highly effective way to improve health and to reduce pain and
suffering.
III.Just ask my grandmother.
Bibliography
"Acupuncture." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006.
Web. 12 Dec.2006.
Lemorick, Michael D. “When It’s a Child Who Is Hurting.” Time 28 Feb. 2005: 55.
Research Library. Web. 7 Nov. 2006.
Mann, Felix. Acupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing and How It Works
Scientifically. Rev. ed. New York: Vintage, 1973. Print.
Shekelle, Paul, et al. “Acupuncture for Low Back Pain/In Response.” Annals of Internal
Medicine 143.9 (2005): 691. Research Library. Web. 11 Nov. 2006.
“World Health Organization; New International Guidelines to Promote Proper Use of
Alternative Medicines.” Biotech Week 21 July 2004: 787. Research Library.
Web. 6 June2006.
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