Everywhere you turn; there are stories about
celebrities getting acupuncture.
Supermodel, Elle Macpherson,
recently said in an interview with UK tabloid, News of the World, “I have acupuncture
regularly and I see a Chinese doctor who treats most common ailments with
herbs.”
When asked how she maintained her health and well being, Elle
answered, “I do choose to look after my body from a Chinese medicine
perspective, which promotes and maintains wellness rather than treats
illness.”
Elle is not the only celebrity that seems to have become
“star-struck” with this traditional form of health care that is touted as being
able to treat everything from anxiety to a torn rotator cuff. Gwyneth Paltrow,
a longtime advocate of the benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, once
said that having acupuncture had guided her to a “new level” in life, helping
her to find love with her husband and giving her the strength to cope with the
death of her father. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow said,
“I have been a big fan of Chinese medicine for a long time because it
works.”
So what other celebrities are up for being a voluntary
pin-cushion? Dr. Maoshing Ni, an acupuncturist in Santa Monica lists Jim Carrey
and Helen Hunt as two of his many famous clients. In a testimonial, Jim Carrey
said “Undergoing [acupuncture] treatments with Dr. Mao at [his acupuncture
clinic] and following his nutritional advice has led to a marked change in my
physical vitality and my general state of well-being.”
Celebrities have
embraced acupuncture so whole-heartedly that they even schedule regular
acupuncture treatments for their pets. Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy the
Vampire Slayer fame, has been spotted in Los Angeles taking her pampered pooch,
Tyson, in for his acupuncture treatment.
Acupuncture is becoming more and
more respected by conventional medicine, so much so that there were
acupuncturists on-site for the athletes at both the Summer and Winter
Olympics.
How it works
Is
there any evidence to back up this rapid growth in the popularity of
acupuncture? Besides the 2000 years of clinical evidence, there are a multitude
of studies to substantiate that acupuncture has a measurable affect on the
body. One study on how acupuncture works to relieve pain, published in the Journal of NeuroImage, used brain
imaging technology to prove that acupuncture affects the brain’s long-term
ability to regulate pain. In the study, researchers were able to show that
acupuncture increased the binding availability to opioid receptors in the brain
in much the same way that opioid painkillers, such as morphine, codeine and
other medications, are thought to work
The U.S. National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared acupuncture
effective for more than 200 other conditions including, respiratory, eye and
mouth, gastro-intestinal, neurological and muscular disorders. Because of
acupuncture’s ability to speed the healing process, bring down swelling and
inflammation, relieve pain, and help to restore normal range of motion, it is
especially effective at treating musculo-skeletal disorders.
“The
purpose of acupuncture is to trigger your body's innate ability to self heal. “
Says licensed acupuncturist, Diane Joswick, L.Ac.
“When someone comes in
for treatment, we take all of their symptoms into account and aim at balancing
the energy within the body to optimize health. Treatments are tailored for the
individual. That is why it is important to talk with an acupuncturist to see
how acupuncture will be able to help your specific and unique
case.”
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