Acupuncture and Medication Reduction

Clients often ask me what I see the most often. The conditions we see here run the gamut from any pain syndrome to stress issues. But probably the largest issue patients seek results, which overlaps all physical symptoms, is reduction in the need for medications.

With Western medicine’s fondness for using initials to name different conditions such as ADHD, PCOS, ED, COPD, etc., I’m thinking of naming a new syndrome called HTDSE (Hate Those Damned Side Effects). And with good reason. In a June 2010 report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine it was reported that adverse drug reactions cause injuries or death in 1 of 5 hospital patients.

The reason there are so many adverse drug events in the U.S. is because so many drugs are used and prescribed – and many patients receive multiple prescriptions at varying strengths, some of which may counteract each other or cause more severe reactions when combined. Small wonder that more and more people are trying to be proactive in taking control of their own health.

The concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, fit very nicely with this goal. Consider:

1. Most health problems are caused by imbalances in the body.

2. TCM and acupuncture focus on fixing these imbalances so the body can heal itself. TCM does not actually do the healing – it brings your body’s systems into balance so natural healing mechanisms can take over.

At AcupunctureOne, we believe that when the root cause is addressed, the signs and symptoms will subside.

James Rodowca, L.Ac.