What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture involves inserting extremely fine and sterile needles at specific points that lie along the energy meridians in the body (there are about 350 of these points in this tradition). Stimulation of these nodes is believed to unlock energy, or qi, within the body.
Acupuncture is one of the most widely accepted alternative therapies in the West; It has its origins in China and is believed to have started between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago.
Acupuncture variants
- Herbal acupuncture is acupuncture where herbal ingredients are injected through the acupuncture needle.
- Bee venom acupuncture injects small amounts of bee venom.
- Embedded acupuncture embeds needles for long lasting effect.
How does acupuncture work?
The specific mechanisms by which acupuncture works are not fully understood, but several advanced theories have been put forward.
Acupuncture believed to work by Raphe stimulation nuclei, which increases the production of serotonin. This, in turn, triggers a series of reactions that culminates in increased glucocorticoids that modulate inflammation and other aspects of the body's immune response.
Since many skin conditions are at least in part inflammatoryAcupuncture can have a positive effect through the reduction of inflammation.
What skin conditions is used to treat acupuncture?
Acupuncture has been used to treat an extensive list of skin conditions, including:
- the symptomitch
- Atopic dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Urticaria
- Acne
- Postherpetic neuralgia
What are the benefits and drawbacks of acupuncture in treating skin conditions?
The benefits of acupuncture as a dermatology the treatment includes:
- It can provide non-pharmacological relief for pain or itching.
- Less invader than surgery or other common treatments
- Holistic treatment approach, which is often used in combination with Chinese herbs and changes in diet and other lifestyles or cupping and moxibustion
- Increasingly available / accessible treatment.
The drawbacks of acupuncture as a treatment include:
- Lack of good quality evidence for effectiveness
- Vasovagal symptoms (dizziness, etc.)
- Insertion site infection (This is considered rare, as the needles are sterile and the use of disposable needles has become the norm)
- Contraindications for patients with bleeding disorders.
Cutaneous side effects of acupuncture
Acupuncture has been reported to rarely cause skin disease, such as:
- Itch
- Bleeding and bruising
- Bacterial infection
- Atypical mycobacterial infection
- Fungal infection
- Viral infection
- Hypersensitivity reaction
- Lipoatrophy
- Hypertrophic scar
Bee venom acupuncture can most often lead to hypersensitivity or bee sting reactions to bee venom, including anaphylaxis, hives and foreign body granuloma.
Herbal acupuncture can lead to hypersensitivity reactions to plant materials.
Embedded acupuncture can lead to a foreign body granuloma.
English 
Español de Argentina 
Français 
Português do Brasil 