Austrailia 
Clinical Research & Application
Pain Management & Osteotraumology

ACUPUNCTURE AND MANIPULATION MASSAGE FOR 250 SCIATICA CASES

Ting Qian WANG
Wang's Natural Therapy Center. 61 Hill Street, Cabramatta, Sidney N.S.W. 2166, Australia.

Sciatica is a common disease in clinical practice. The author has treated this disease on 250 cases during 1983¡­1995 and achieved a satisfactory result with an effective rate of 96.5%.
General Data: In 250 patients with sciatica pain, 170 were male and 80 were female. The age ranged from 18 to 65 years old. The average age was 42. The duration was from 3 months to 14 years. According to TCM theory, 120 patients had cold-wetness evil, 78 patients had asthenia of kidney, 52 patients had energy-stagnation and blood stasis.
Methods: (1) Let the patient lie down in prone position and relax the muscles. The main points are Shenshu (BL23), Guanyuanshu (BL26), Huantiao (GB30), Yanglingquan (GB34), Weizhong(BL40), Chengshan(BL57). Assistant points are Yinmen (UB37), Zhibian(BL54), Zusanli(ST36), Juegu(JB37), Kunlun(BL60), Taichong(LR3), etc. Retain the needles for 30 minutes after receiving Qi, then withdraw needles followed by manipulation massage. (2) Manipulation massage consists of pushing manipulation, poking channels method, pressure-massage, rolling and rotating manipulation, tapping technique, pulling relaxing and shaking manipulation along the bladder meridian of foot-taiyang, the small intestine channel of hand-taiyang and the governor vessel meridian. The total duration is 15 minutes.
Results: In 250 cases, 145 cases were cured, 61 cases were marked effective, 44 cases improved. The total effective rate is 96.5%.
Conclusion: Sciatica is generally caused by the attack of wind, cold and damp evil on channels and collaterals, leading to stagnation of Qi and blood. Acupuncture has the function of expelling wind, cold and damp evil and thus unblocking the channel. Massage can unrestrain channels and collaterals, assist the anti-pathogenic factor and expel the pathogenic factor. Using the two methods at the same time can regulate the channel and Qi-blood to relieve pain.


Literature Review & Acupuncture Theory
International Survey

A REPORT ON THE USE OF ACUPUNCTURE FOR SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCIES WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN SETTING

Christine A. BERLE
Foundation for the Wholistic Treatment of Substance Dependency, P.O. Box 84, Merrylands NSW 2160, Australia.

Aim: The Foundation for the Wholistic Treatment of Substance Dependency is a community based organization which assists people to achieve and maintain lifestyles free from substance dependency. Our Foundation has initiated acupuncture treatment within an established residential D & A center. We have collated data in an endeavor to evaluate if there has been an increase in the retention rate of those residents who incorporate acupuncture as part of their treatment plan. We also aimed to ascertain if the Australian outcomes reflect common results demonstrated by the U.S. research.
Methods: The protocol developed by NADA was the procedure which was offered three times per week. Statistics have been compared between those who participated in the acupuncture program and those who did not. We also compared statistics with the period prior to the introduction of acupuncture services. These results were then compared with those obtained by the U.S. research.
Results: Our work supports studies undertaken in the U.S. Acupuncture has substantially increased client retention within an established residential rehabilitation center. One unexpected result which emerged from this study was that in all cases where participants identified they were Hepatitis C positive, Liver Function Tests returned to normal within 16 treatments.
Conclusion: The use of acupuncture in the treatment of addictions is rapidly growing globally because of its ability to assist people achieve and maintain lifestyles free of substance dependency. Collated data and international trends indicate the viability of acupuncture treatment as a part of the management procedure for substance dependency. There is also a need for a further investigation into the effectiveness of this treatment in its application to people who have Hepatitis C.


Literature Review & Acupuncture Theory
Advance of Acupuncture & Meridian Research

THE FUTURE ROLE OF QUALITATIVE INQUIRY
IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE ACUPUNCTURE RESEARCH

Barry NESTER
Department of Health Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, Australia.

Many researchers in recent years have used quantitative research approaches, such as the randomized clinical trial (RCT) to obtain knowledge of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (TCA) therapy. There are, however, other valuable approaches of inquiry that can be utilized in TCA research. This paper outlines the future role of qualitative research for increasing our knowledge and understanding of TCA and related phenomena.
Biomedical research has tended to assume a positivistic (or post-postivistic) perspective. In contrast, the theoretical concepts of TCA can be seen to be in many ways different to biomedicine, being derived from another paradigm having a different ontology, premises and assumptions. As a consequence, the appropriateness of research strategies and designs for TCA cannot be assessed solely by the criteria of Western biomedical research. TCA with its unique nature and holistic orientation, requires examination by research approaches that are in accord with its philosophical orientation and not those of biomedicine.
TCA knowledge can only be increased if the research methods that are used by researchers are congruent, and not dissonant to the world-view or paradigm from which TCA is derived. There would appear to be many similarities between the Traditional Chinese Medical paradigm and the themes of qualitative inquiry, which would suggest a greater role for qualitative research in the field of TCA.


Acupuncture Education

SYSTEM THEORY AND ACUPUNCTURE EDUCATION
(A RETURN TO CLASSICAL ROOTS)

Kerry B. WATSON
Department of Health Sciences, Victoria University of Technology. P.O. Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia.

Acupuncture educators often ask themselves what is the best way to teach this art/science. For many students studying traditional Chinese acupuncture is a new way of thinking about the world, people and health and can be confusing, frustrating and problematic. How can the teaching of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture best support the learning process?
The application of system theory to acupuncture education can provide a way of supporting and reinforcing the learning process. It is a modern approach and, at the same time, a return to the classical roots of acupuncture.
The primary systems of Acupuncture are the meridians and therein lies the basis for a system approach to acupuncture education. Using the meridians as the key system within which Acupuncture theory and practice is learned, makes the task that much more relevant and comprehensible. At Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, the Bachelor's Degree in Acupuncture is based on the study of the meridian system.
This paper presents a rationale and a method for combining classical acupuncture theory with system theory to produce an education program in acupuncture suited to the modern student.

Acupuncture Education

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORT FOR
UNDERGRADUATE ACUPUNCTURE/TCM EDUCATION

Carole J. ROGERS
Faculty of Science, University of Technology, Sydney. P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture has entered the Australian university system with the introduction of undergraduate programs at two universities: the University of Technology, Sydney, and the Victoria University of Technology. The introduction of these courses into Western universities reverses the trend of the last few hundred years that has seen European academic domination of Asian university programs.
A four-year undergraduate degree course, the Bachelor of Health Science in Acupuncture, is offered by both universities. It ushers in a new era of government sponsored education for acupuncturists in the West. In addition to enhancing the stature of traditional acupuncture within a European cultural setting, it also provides opportunities for Traditional Chinese Medicine graduates to enter higher degrees (Master and Ph.D.)in these two Australian universities.
The degree program was introduces at the Victoria University of Technology in 1992 and at the University of Technology, Sydney in 1994. Before that, a private college, Acupuncture Colleges (Australia), offered a degree program accredited by the New South Wales Ministry of Education. It was this program that transferred into the university system and formed the basis of the new degrees.
This paper identifies some of the advantages of Government subsidized undergraduate acupuncture education in the Australian university system. It examines various aspects of the experience for students and staff, and projects new research and educational innovations that will be available to the Australian and interanational acupuncture profession over the next few years.

 

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