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Author:
Jerry H. Hall

Acupuncture therapy for stroke-caused conditions such as paralysis, speech and swallowing problems, and depression is commonly used in the Orient. In China and Japan, an acupuncturist is likely to start therapy as soon as possible after a stroke. However, my recommendation is a delay of 2 weeks before acupuncture for strokes caused by bleeding in the brain, 10 to 20% of strokes (instead of the usual blood vessel block or clot).

The wait is due to studies showing that acupuncture opens blood vessels for better flow and decreases clotting and inflammation. These effects are desired early when arteries are blocked, but after a stroke caused by bleeding has occurred, it is safer to wait until the bleeding blood vessel has clotted and is unlikely to bleed further before providing the acupuncture.

Acupuncture is done on a daily basis in China. Uncertain as to whether daily acupuncture is essential, even in Western countries, some acupuncturists with experience in treating stroke with acupuncture believe treatment 3 times a week is optimal. Several different approaches have been used to treat stroke, demonstrating that acupuncture for this disorder remains a healthcare art: Traditional Chinese Yang meridian point therapy, Chinese scalp acupuncture.

Does acupuncture really work to help stroke victims improve? Many studies involving thousands of patients have been published in China and Japan, and 2 of 3 studies from Scandinavia, demonstrated significant help. These studies indicate that patients get well faster, perform better in self-care, require less nursing and rehabilitation therapy, and use less healthcare dollars.

However, since most studies come from China, they get little credence from the Western medical community because researchers in China do not appear to be published unless their results are highly positive, so publication bias is possible. And, no money has been made available in the United States for studies needed to confirm the claims of experts in China and Japan of indeed helping stroke patients.

Even discomfort is generally minimal. If one compares the possible positive help to be obtained with the risks associated with acupuncture, my contention is that acupuncture is worthy to attempt for stroke therapy. Studies are needed in the United States to prove this to medical skeptics. It will be important for such studies to involve skilled acupuncturists with experience in stroke therapy.

About the Author :

Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Does it Really Work? Find out at http://AcupuncturePoint.smartreviewguide.com


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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Stroke... Gender Bias in Stroke Care I can't think of any adequate excuse for women to receive medical care that is less good than that which is received by men. However, evidence for this continues to surface. The latest study to demonstrate this unsettling fact was published in the September 27, 2005, issue of Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Melinda Smith and co-investigators looked at stroke care between 2000 and 2002 in the seven acute-care hospitals of Corpus Christi, Texas, which includes all of the hospitals of Nueces County. Patients hospitalized for stroke, a condition in which interrupted circulation causes damage to the brain, should receive a core battery of testing. Every stroke patient should receive an echocardiogram, a soundwave-based test that shows images of the heart and its various components in motion. This is useful in showing if the heart might have generated the stroke by sending clots or other material into the circulation feeding the brain, and also to identify complications affecting the heart itself. Moreover, patients believed to have a stroke to the front part of the brain (which applies to most cases) should receive testing for narrowing or blockage of the carotid arteries. The carotids are the two pulsating blood-vessels in the front of the neck which convey blood to the front of the brain. The researchers found that while 57% of the men with strokes received an echocardiogram, this test was given to just 48% of the women with strokes. And while 71% of the men received carotid imaging, this test was provided to just 62% of the women. Statistics showed that these differences were too large to account for by chance alone. Moreover, the researchers diligently searched for legitimate medical reasons to account for the unequal...