Alternative Medicine
One of the nonstandard care practices widely used today is acupuncture. Acupuncture is a practice that involves the insertion of needles at particular areas on the skin to treat pain or a disease (Tseng & Streltzer, 2008). Originally, acupuncture was a model practice in China more than two decades ago. In the USA, the use of acupuncture borrows heavily from the medical traditions of China, Korea and Japan. The most common practices involve inserting a needle (the size of hair) into the skin.
Research shows that acupuncture can reduce vomiting and nausea when carried out after a surgery (Eshkevari & Heath, 2005). Moreover, acupuncture can reduce pain after chemotherapy. However, researchers do not fully understand the mechanisms involved in relieving the patient. Acupuncture practitioners argue that the practice aids the activity of the pain-killing chemicals. Consequently, this influences the flow of blood and regulates blood pressure. Such views receive support neuroimaging studies that show that acupuncture calms the areas in the brain that register pain, and activates the parts of the brain involved in bringing relaxation and recuperation. Ultrasound experiments also support this argument as they show that acupuncture increases the flow of blood to the treated areas
Despite these results, there are several healthcare experts who still remain skeptical about the prospects of acupuncture. For instance, many skeptics point out the fact that research studies on acupuncture show mixed results, especially on its effectiveness. It is also argued that acupuncture has a placebo effect on the volunteers who turn up for research. For example, some patients register brain changes due to fake acupuncture. As a result, there is no clear difference between the effect of acupuncture and placebo. Of course, this raises some degree of controversy especially in the design of clinical trials.
Nonetheless, the use of acupuncture continues to spread- often along conventional medicine. For example, army doctors are using acupuncture to treat soldiers with pain, stress and musculoskeletal problems. There are also medical centers that use acupuncture to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Acupuncture has also been used to treat headache, fatigue, and arthritis. In most cases, the procedure is safe (Beck, 2010). However, a small percentage of patients may experience bleeding, and in rare occasions fatalities may occur due to injury of vital organs. In many cases, such incidents arise due to the use of inexperienced practitioners and negligence.
Although, according to some Western medical experts, acupuncture is a fanciful CAM product, the results obtained in treating some diseases cannot be ignored. Clinical and scientific approaches to the acupuncture research could be useful in defining the role of acupuncture in modern medicine. Safety and effectiveness are the main drivers in treating diseases, and this should be the basis for incorporating it into the modern medical collection (Eshkevari & Heath, 2005). All in all, it is essential to understand that cultural beliefs have a significant influence on a patient's perception of health. A provider-patient relationship is built on trust; hence it is essential to be culturally aware. Lack of cultural awareness may lead a physician to make erroneous assumptions, which may result into negative impact on the patient care.
References
Beck, M. (2010, March 22). Decoding an Ancient Therapy. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from The Wall Street Journal : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704841304575137872667749264.html
Eshkevari, L., & Heath, J. (2005). Use of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Optimizing Clinical Practice. Holistic Nursing Practice, 19 (5), 217-221.
Tseng, W.-S., & Streltzer, J. (2008). Cultural Competence in Health Care. New York, NY: Springer.
