Acupuncture

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by HydrogenBond

Lets get a little sci-fi. Picture if the needle was a type input-output device. In this case, a signal from the brain of the therapist, that is based on a healthy body, is compressed (jpeg) and then focused at the nerves in the finger tips. This compressed signal goes through the needle into the nerve junction of the patient, where it is decompressed by the hierarchy of the nervous system of the patient. Because there is data loss during compression and decompression the technique is only maybe 20-40% effective.

I believe HBond is being too modest – that was a lot sci-fi!

A question comes to mind – if it’s possible for a therapist to transmit a signal from their brain, through their nerves, and through the skin of their fingers, why is a skin-penetrating needle needed to transmit the signal to the patient? Wouldn’t skin-to-skin touch work? If not, wouldn’t it be more effective if needles, connected by conductive wire, were inserted both into the patient and the therapist?

Maybe someday with better probes and better data compression we can reprogram the nervous junctions more effeciently.

More important than better probes, I think any technique to rearrange nerves using needles and electrical signals would need a theoretical model of how such a thing could work. Without such an understanding (to continue using the computer analogy) the effectiveness of any technique seems to me akin to the effectiveness of attempting to program a computer by randomly applying voltages to every accessible conductor in it – you may eventually cause something to happen, but its unlikely to be anything beneficial. In the case of human beings, very small currents are unlikely, I think, to cause anything to happen, beneficial or otherwise – all indications are that the human body and nervous system isn’t well-suited to handling small electric currents.

A notable exception to this is the direct stimulation via arrays of fine electrodes of the visual cortex or the brain to produce a crude approximation of vision in blind patients. Though nearly 50 years old, this technology has still not produced an effective enough therapy for widespread use, and remains controversial, thought very interesting, neuroscience.

The use of larger currents have been demonstrated to be useful. For example, electronic muscle stimulation devices have been used by body builders to tone specific muscles, and in clinical setting with patients suffering from coma or nerve injuries to prevent muscle atrophy, and Electroconvulsive therapy has been used to induce seizures to treat psychiatric conditions that fail to respond to less intrusive therapies.

[Jay-qu]

Or perhaps the process will just equalise the charge between the two, making successive treatments in one day not as effective..

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by CraigD

A notable exception to this is the direct stimulation via arrays of fine electrodes of the visual cortex or the brain to produce a crude approximation of vision in blind patients. Though nearly 50 years old, this technology has still not produced an effective enough therapy for widespread use, and remains controversial, though very interesting, neuroscience.

Interesting indeed. Part of the issue currently with it's lack of effectiveness is that they are stimulating large areas of occipital cortex with a supercortical patch, instead of intracortically probing the regions needed to create the visual refinement people are after.

Following HB's tendency toward analogy, most of the current procedures where they surgically implant visual prosthetics are a bit like trying to move a single feather off of a pile of millions of feathers using the rotary blade of a helicopter. It's not focussed enough yet...

Here's what they poke into the brain:
Courtesy: The Laboratory of Neuroprosthetic Research

[HydrogenBond]

The art of acupuncture already has some of the body mapped out. It is only empirical science, and not fully rational, but it may provide a basic foundation for better strategies.

I think the needles are needed because the signals from the hands and fingers are usually not strong enough to reach deep into tissue. If just he hands and finger could do it, it would be called a miracle.

[Tormod]

Originally Posted by Racoon

Acupuncture has definite merit, so lets wait and see what they say... but I don't think for the time being that accupuncture can help with an achilles problem, although I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

I can't prove you wrong, but I am very happy to say that after 4 months of treatment, I am finally back on the road again.

I did not run at all from October 10. I had two test runs (ie very short ones) in the weeks before Christmas, with little success. The pain and inflammation came back at once.

During Christmas Week I ran 4 times, and felt quite good - but then I stopped to let my legs heal. In the beginning of January I felt too tough and ran a 5K...the day after that I figured I'd botched my healing completely.

But I am now able to run about 2 miles without any pain, and I do not have any pain in the following days either. So I am finally building up miles and stamina again.

Treatment was acupunture and massage every week for three months, then two sessions of acupunture with 2 weeks in between - which is what I'll keep doing for a few months.

I use Orudis anti-inflammatory ointment after every run, and I also use a herbal oil on my calves before and after exercise. I also stretch more than usual but with less strain on the muscles.

I feel confident that it's the combination of non-training/acupunture/massage and medications that has helped me get through this period. It might have worked without any of the above but in hindsight the point is of course that it has worked.