What Eastern medical oddity turns breech babies, changes hormone levels, abolishes pain, cures infertility and delivers its miracles on the head of a pin? Acupuncture is a 5,000 year - old Eastern medical science that is on the rise due to recent legislation. Effective July 21, 2000, a new bill, three years in the making, will allow nonmedical doctors to practice acupuncture and be recognized in the State of Georgia, US, through the completion of the national boards for acupuncture. Previously, only medical doctors were allowed to practice acupuncture and required only a minimal 100 hours of training. Professional acupuncturists who had studied for many years at accomplished schools of acupuncture were not allowed to practice.

      Dr. Howard Colier, a board certified orthopedic surgeon, offers acupuncture in his practice in Sandy Springs and Lithia Springs. According to Colier, acupuncture needles can be applied to the full body area, as in traditional acupuncture, or needles can be applied to the ears or hands, as in auricular and Korean acupuncture, respectively. Moxabustion (or moxi, the name of the herb used in the burning process) is also used in acupuncture, which is a type of "heat activated" thermal therapy and does not require a needle. A tool is lit which then heats up the skin at the meridian point which is out of balance.

     Dr. Howard Colier, a board certified orthopedic surgeon, offers acupuncture in his practice in Sandy Springs and Lithia Springs. According to Colier, acupuncture needles can be applied to the full body area, as in traditional acupuncture, or needles can be applied to the ears or hands, as in auricular and Korean acupuncture, respectively. Moxabustion (or moxi, the name of the herb used in the burning process) is also used in acupuncture, which is a type of "heat activated" thermal therapy and does not require a needle. A tool is lit which then heats up the skin at the meridian point which is out of balance.

     When asked what accounts for the high success rate, Dr. Colier responded that acupuncture creates a neurobiological release similiar to a runner's high. "There's a marked increase in blood levels of these hormones that have a lasting effect." The endorphin theory of acupuncture applies to pain, but other theories explain why acupuncture treats other problems such as infertility and breech presentation. A theory in acupuncture is that illness happens because energy in the meridians is hyperactive, which causes excess energy. When the energy is in a deficient state, there's a weakness of energy in the body. A third type of imbalance is blocked energy. The diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture targets and restores proper balance of energy.

       The World Health Organization published a report stating that acupuncture is suitable for a variety of ailments within the following categories: ear, nose and throat disorders, respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and nervous system and muscular disorders.

       Offering alternative treatments can require great skill and knowledge. "The goal is to combine treatments across disciplines in a way that the patient is comfortable with," said Dr. Mark Merlin, a partner in the Atlanta Center for Alternative Medicine in Buckhead. Dr. Merlin, who also believes in treating root causes rather than symptoms, finds that acupuncture loses some of its effect when faced with modern environmental elements such as pollution, heavy metal poisoning, and additives in foods such as hormones and antibiotics. He stresses the importance of detoxification of the patient.

     "It would be analogous to trying to put fresh paint on a wooden fence without sanding down to the good wood. In today's environment we have to balance the external pollution of the body in addition to trying to balance its subtle energy. Acupuncture with today's toxicities is a much greater challenge than I believe it was 3,000 years ago. I also rely on other treatments such as detoxification, herbs, balancing of hormones, laboratory testing, and prescribing antibiotics when necessary," he said.

      David Dunn, a classical Chinese acupuncturist at Body of Truth holistic health center in Sandy Springs, questions whether East and West can ever truly meet. "The degree that systems depart from classical Chinese acupuncture is the degree to which the true teachings become watered down. It's based on a completely different model than the Western model and it can't be compared or translated. Acupuncture needs to be understood on its own terms and in its own context and it can't be understood through a western model. Otherwise it becomes reduced to a technique for treating pain and symptoms rather than being a complete energy science that is used to restore balance to the whole person," he said.

      "Acupuncture is actually in danger of being lost as a complete healing science. Bits and pieces of acupuncture are being used but the complete energy science is being lost. We must treat the person, not the symptoms. Symptoms are branches of the problem. When we treat the whole person, we are treating the roots that are manifesting those symptoms," he explained. Dunn, who studied Chinese medicine for ten years including studies in China, has completed
a four year program in acupuncture at the Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in North Carolina.

     Practioner's Spotlight provides information on alternative health practitioners. It is not intended to endorse or recommend specific health practitioners or treatments. With any medical problem, the reader is advised to consult
his/her primary physician and use their own judgment regarding additional care.