Orthodox Medicine Controls the Symptoms

Orthodox medicine controls the symptoms of a disease and may at the same time ignore the cause, acupuncture tries to focus on the root causes and relieve the symptoms as a consequence of this.

Another example might be a case of chronic arthritis. The patient's ankles and wrists are swollen and hot; movement is painful, and the joints are stiff first thing in the morning.

A doctor prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs, alternating tablets with suppositories because of adverse side-effects these drugs can have on the stomach.

Treatment is aimed at relieving inflammation, pain and stiffness and may be successful in this as long as the drugs are used.
 
An acupuncturist assessing the same case enquires, among other things, about diet and lifestyle, and discovers a long history of lavish business entertaining, with substantial and regular alcohol consumption, combined with continual stress at work.

Treatment concentrates on advising the patient to follow a much more modest diet and lifestyle, while attempting to reduce stress at work too if possible.

Local points at the wrists and ankles are treated, as are points to clear Heat and remove stagnation of Qi. Diagnosis from the tongue also indicates excessive Heat in the Stomach and treatment is also directed to clear this. The medication is reduced, gradually.

Because the condition has been established for some years, progress is slow, and the joints often seem aggravated after treatment. Nevertheless, greater mobility is evident within a few weeks, the heat of inflammation diminishes, and the swelling slowly subsides.

Changes to diet and life-style help ensure that the improvement is permanent. This example contrasts the long-term approach of acupuncture with the Western emphasis on more immediate (and symp-tomatic) relief as a step towards a hoped-for cure.