Acupuncture can be an alternative treatment option that can be very beneficial in relieving some pain & possibly other symptoms of a disease or condition. According to Wikipedia, “Acupuncture is the procedure of inserting & manipulating filiform needles into various points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, ‘needle’, & pungere, ‘to prick.’”
According to Patrick Professor Woo, colleagues from the University of Hong Kong & the lead author in a study, “acupuncture may pose risks to patients as needles are inserted up to several centimeters beneath the skin.”
Medical News Today says:
Most patients recover from infections. However, Professor Woo explains that 5 to 10 percent of the reported pyogenic bacterial infections end up with serious problems including:• joint destruction
• multi-organ failure
• flesh eating disease
• paralysisMost infections caused are bacterial. But Woo comments there have been outbreaks of hepatitis B, & perhaps cases of hepatitis C & HIV that are believed to have been transmitted via acupuncture.
If you have a chronic illness & a compromised immune system, any infection can put you at great risk. “The authors say in closing that ‘to prevent infections transmitted by acupuncture, infection control measures should be implemented, such as use of disposable needles, skin disinfection procedures, & aseptic techniques. Stricter regulation & accreditation requirements are also needed.’
Read more about this study here:
“Acupuncture transmitted infections: the tip of the iceberg of a global emerging problem”
Patrick C Y Woo, professor, Ada W C Lin, specialist, Susanna K P Lau, associate professor, Kwok-Yung Yuen, chair of infectious diseases
BMJ 2010; 340:c1268
bmj.com
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