Acupuncture
and Tourette Syndrome
Acupunture
is a technique similar to acupressure, except that fine needles are
inserted at specific points along the meridians just under the skin.
The needles function is to stimulate, disperse & balance the flow
or energy, relieve pain, and treat a variety of chronic, acute and
degenerative conditions. Thee needle penetrates and stimulates specific
points in the body to restore normal energetic balance. Generally
three to fifteen needles will be placed.
Scientific
Evidence of Acupunture and Tourette Syndrome
In many
areas of Western medicine, rigorously controlled research and carefully
documented experience allow fairly definitive answers to questions
of diagnosis and treatment of any given malady (condition or disorder).
In this case Tourette Syndrome. Although the quality of research in
acupuncture is now better meeting the requirements of Western medicine,
the Tourette reaserch still can not answer questions based on a Western
scientific-evidence-based model. The reasons for which lie in the
nature of the two systems themselves.
Western
allopathic medicine will treat the Tourette Syndrome diagnosis as
established by fairly objective impersonal standards i.e. DSM criteria
for Tourettes. The conventional Western medical model, by treating
the specific and "objective" diagnoses for Tourette Syndrome,
can easily design studies which permit statistical reasoning about
the benefits of treatment for Tourette Syndrome.
This
approach is in contrast to traditional acupuncture models where an
individual, not a Tourette diagnosis, is treated. Treatment is based
not only on diagnostic evaluations derived from subjective signs and
symptoms caused by Tourette Syndrome, but on an accurate assessment
of a patients nature and constitution.
Acupunture
Approach to Tourette Syndrome
There
have been attempts to "standardize" any acupuncture approach.
The Chinese government under communist rule has created a model of
acupuncture called Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is the model
taught in most acupuncture schools in the West. Although based on
traditional models of oriental medicine, particularly herbal approaches,
it only partially reflects the wealth of acupuncture models used historically
and today.
"If
I were to give an educated guess I would probably say that acupuncture,
like massage, meditation or chiropractic, may lead to a global reduction
in stress (thus minimizing symptoms overall) and may also remove tension
in certain problem areas of the body (thus minimizing symptoms associated
with those particular areas because one is paying less attention to
those areas). Beyond these nonspecific effects I see nothing in the
treatment that could suggest acupuncture is a 'cure', however for
Tourette Syndrome." - Dr. B. Duncan McKinlay
Report
on Acupuncture Therapy for Tourette syndrome
There
was a circulated report on acupuncture therapy for Tourette's syndrome
The report was involving 156 patients, which was published
several years ago in the English language Journal of Traditional Chinese
Medicine. The results appeared positive:
The
children treated were ages 6-15, and were seen relatively soon after
the diagnosis was made (within one year). The doctors divided the
patients into two subtypes using Chinese medical principles:
"The
principle of clearing Yangming and nourishing the kidney and heart
was adopted in the treatment of 156 cases of Gilles de la Tourettes
Syndrome with acupuncture. The total effective rate was 92.3%, and
the cure rate in children aged 11-15 years was markedly higher than
that in children 6-10 years of age. Among 84 cases with abnormal EEG,
the pathological waves in 54 disappeared or ameliorated after the
treatment
Yangming
stagnant heat (heat in the stomach channel), characterized by robust,
plump physical form, ruddy complexion, high levels of tic activity
(with more vigorous expression), and often accompanied by constipation.
Typical yangming heat indicators were suggested to be present in the
pulse (strong, rapid, slippery) and tongue appearance (red tongue,
yellow coating). For treatment, the points neiting (ST-44), quchi
(LI-11), pianli (LI-6), and sibai (ST-2) were needled. The first three
points were needled by using thrusting and lifting technique and sibai
was treated by the bird-pecking reduction method, with the needle
sensation propagating downward.
Insufficient
essence (essence that nourishes brain development and also affects
overall physical well-being), characterized by having a weak constitution
and thin physical form, pallor, milder and slower expression of tics,
and frequent urination. Typical indictors of deficiency were noted
for the pulse (weak and thready) and tongue appearance (swollen and
pale). For treatment, the points yamen (GV-15), lianquan (CV-23),
shenmen (HT-7), and fuliu (KI-7) were needled. yamen was needled deeply
(1.5-2.0 cun), and the needle was withdrawn immediately when an electric
shock like sensation was felt in the upper limbs. lianquan was needled
by the bird pecking method until a local sensation of distention was
felt. The other two points were treated with the reinforcement method
of twisting and rotation of the needle.
In
the group of patients evaluated and treated, 66 were of the yangming
stagnant heat type and 90 of the essence deficiency type. Acupuncture
was administered daily with needling time of 30 minutes, using the
specified maneuvers at the beginning, and after 10, 20, and 30 minutes.
A course of treatment was two weeks. These courses of therapy were
continued until the person displayed a cure of the disease or ceased
showing improvement. If a patient did not show improvement within
three courses, it was considered a failure of treatment.
The
doctors claimed a "cure" rate of 73%, meaning that the symptoms
went away with the therapy and did not come back for some time (unspecified),
even with drug therapy discontinued. Further, only 12 of the 156 children
treated failed to show some significant improvement. The authors noted
that in 84 patients who had shown EEG abnormalities at the outset,
72 of those cases became normal after the treatment course. They did
not attempt to explain how a congenital condition such as this might
be improved so dramatically without reverting soon after therapy had
ceased, and they did not specify how many courses of therapy were
needed for the successful cases. However, one course of treatment
is usually defined as a period that demonstrates clear effects in
some patients and three courses of treatment were considered necessary
to determine if acupuncture was not working, so some effects would
be expected in the range of 2-6 weeks of daily therapy, with longer
duration potentially needed to get optimal results.
The
lead author of the study, Wu Lianzhong, works at the acupuncture department
of the No.1 Hospital affiliated with the Tianjin College of Traditional
Chinese Medicine. He specializes in neurological disorders and has
reported also on treatment of hysteria and stroke with acupuncture.
Although
a specific set of acupuncture points was given in this article, one
cannot conclude that these points are necessarily better than others
than might be chosen. In a review of therapies for epilepsy, both
herb therapies and acupuncture therapies varied considerably from
one clinic to the next. Therefore, the points listed above can be
used as a guide to therapy, but each patient would be treated according
to their specific constitution and presentation of symptoms.
History
of Acupuncture
Discovered
in China at least two thousand five hundred years ago, during inter
clan/tribe warfare. In these circumstances, as the story goes, they
were shooting each other with bows and arrows. Many were wounded,
and upon recovery, also recovered from the various ailments they had
previously been afflicted with.
The
early Chinese studied these phenomena, and created a complete map
of energy meridians of the entire body. At various points, where energy
or Chi blocks are evident, fine needles are placed strategically,
and in some cases twirled with the fingers, or a mild electric current
is passed through them. This helps to stimulate the blocked area and
allow the free flow of chi energy. According to this philosophy, any
block of chi energy causes illness. This modality is extremely effective
where there is pain and energy imbalance.
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