This is always a good question and sometimes a complicated one.
We can quote the World Health Organization’s recommended list for “Conditions
that Acupuncture Treats” – successfully with much research to back it up.
But how helpful really is this?
Let's take a condition like LOWER BACK PAIN – this is the
first one on the list. Acupuncture is well documented in this area, with lots
of research to back it up as being very successful in treating this condition.
However - let's take a look at this for a moment - the
reality is that this will be dependent upon a number of factors, as follows:
1. The greater the pain range the greater the probability of
success, i.e. if the pain scale ranges from 2 to 8 out of 10, there is likely
to be a better chance of success than if the pain range is from 5 to 6 out of
10 and NEVER changes from that 24/7.
2. The length of time that the pain has persisted, i.e. the
pain scale 2 to 8 out of 10 that has only been apparent for a couple of months
has a much greater chance of success than the 5 to 6 out of 10 that has been persisting
for 20 years.
3. The persons overall health, i.e. how well does the body
react to treatment and how healthy is that body
4. The age of the person, a young fit person will have a
greater chance of recovery than an older person who has a sedentary lifestyle
5. Medications (including recreational drugs and alcohol).
These put extra stress on the body which will take away from the body's innate
capability for self healing when stimulated with treatment
6. Mental attitude. There is no doubt in my mind that the
mental attitude of the person coupled with their ability to comply with
treatment protocols also makes a huge difference
We don't just look at one factor here, but ALL of them when
making an assessment of prognosis. This is then only a guide as every
acupuncturist will tell you stories of fantastic results with just ONE
treatment and these are very real. However, this is not the average expected
outcome.
Therefore, acupuncture is an excellent mortality to use for
your lower back pain, however when determining the prognosis for your
particular condition all 6 areas - as listed above - need to be taken into
consideration. Even then there are the extremes at both ends of the spectrum, i.e. the condition that is cured with one
treatment and the one that shows no improvement or very little improvement at
all for no apparent reason.
This way of thinking can be used to determine the likely
prognosis for most conditions, substituting the pain scale for your back pain
with a symptom scale for all your signs and symptoms, i.e. on a scale of 1 to
10 – how debilitating are your symptoms? Do they range from say 3 to 9 out of
10 and have only been apparent for a couple of months or is the range 6 to 7
out of 10 and been very long term. Taking everything into account the former
condition is likely to have a better and quicker outcome.
With more chronic conditions Acupuncture is still a very good
mortality to use even if the prognosis is not likely to be a complete cure. You
may have to ask yourself – what kind of improvement to my condition would I be
happy with? An intermittent pain / symptom scale of 1 to 2 out of 10 which is
intermittent is a whole lot different to 6 to 7 out of 10 which is constant.
Taking everything else into account, this could be a very realistic prognosis
for your condition. At Austin Therapies – Chinese
Herbalist Brisbane – we can also add Traditional Chinese Herbs to
enhance your outcome.
At Austin Therapies we recognise that every therapy has its
strengths and weaknesses as does every body. There will be times when treatment
outcomes using your chosen mortality, whatever that might be will come as a
surprise - good or poor.
The important thing to recognise here is that if treatment is
not working for you - you need to change either the treatment or something
within your lifestyle or both.
At Austin Therapies at our Acupuncture
Clinic Brisbane we like to work in closely with Western Medicine
protocols and other practitioners. We will always refer you to another mortality
if we are not getting the results that you desire.
** EMPOWERING YOU TO TAKE
CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH **
For a FREE 20 minute phone consultation to discuss your
health concerns, please call Sally on 0421 411 508. Visit http://www.austintherapies.com.au for more
information.
