Believe It Or Not, Acupuncture Works For Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a condition many acupuncturists have had the opportunity of treating. Some of them were delighted that their scoliosis patients responded well to the treatment even if Western medicine sees this condition is a very hard spine disorder to resolve without surgery or the use of a brace. The condition, generally speaking, is usually caused by an imbalance in the strength of the back’s right side and left side. The hips can also suffer from an imbalance that the spine has to compensate for.
In treating scoliosis patients, the traditional way is to beef up the back’s weaker side, and to relax its stronger, tighter side. Acupuncturists use the acupoints along the Du Meridian, Huatuojiaji acupoints, and the meridian associated with the Urinary Bladder. A type of Japanese acupuncture that uses magnets to balance out both sides of the hip has been shown to work very well.
Some Chinese herbal formulas can be made to help strengthen the back. These herbs are designed to tonify Kidney energy and remove stagnation. In tincture form, a western herb known as Solomon’s Seal can very be helpful in balancing out the ligaments and tendons on both sides of the back while it strengthens the spine.
Some patients with S–shaped or C-shaped curvature have responded well to the treatment. Actually, in most patients, the curves do lessen over time, usually in a rapid way. Some acupuncturists have seen patients experience improvements in terms of alleviation of their discomfort and pain. Some acupuncturists, within a few weeks of treatment, have observed curves as extreme as 45 degrees improve. A few practitioners have frequently witnessed incredible improvements in the angle of curvature after just a single treatment.
In 2009, a study published in the Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine dealt with the effectiveness of acupuncture on the treatment of scoliosis. The researchers saw that after six weeks of treatment, the spine’s angle of curvature declined by ten degrees in a patient with a curvature of 35 degrees. The patient had two years of previous conventional treatment that failed to stop the curvature degradation of the patient.
For best acupuncture scoliosis treatment outcomes, in order to ease built-in tension, it is important to reinforce the back’s weaker side by using it for activities involving weight bearing, and to stretch out the back’s stronger side regularly. Over time, the spine’s capacity to correct itself to a great degree will take effect which eventually helps the body develop greater symmetry.