Already known as an alternative remedy for alleviating backaches and migraines, acupuncture, a 3,000-year-old yin-yang Chinese art of healing, is getting rid of more than just saggy chins.

It has found a niche in treating cancer, diabetes, eating disorders, infertility, morning sickness associated with pregnancy, skin disorders, emotional disorders like depression and even smoking and alcohol addictions.

Relief can further be found in these stainless steel needles for respiratory, circulatory, digestive and gynecological problems.

"What we think is new in acupuncture has been proven and worked for centuries in other cultures," explained Ruh, a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Ruh said it is not strange that acupuncture can treat most conditions and even prevent some because "it is a balancing act."

"The balance in the entire body's system leaves lasting results."

The meaning behind "puncture"

Even before a needle makes contact with one's skin, hours of contact are made between the patient and the acupuncturist in the form of detailed discussions about lifestyle habits and medical history.

A partial physical examination is done to gain a sense of the whole person, explained Dr. Warren Bagley, who practices anesthesiology and acupuncture at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. His is the only known physician/hospital-based acupuncture program in the area.

"It has changed my view of patients," he said. "I am not just safely putting them to sleep and making sure they wake up..."

He explained, "I want to know everything, right down to what a person's eaten to how they sleep at night."

Hurdling the fear-of-needles factor is next.

"Most of us are trained as children to associate needles with some type of hypodermic needle, which in turn makes us think of pain," said Prasad Robert Hutter, a registered nurse and certified acupuncturist who practices from his home in West Knoxville.

Hutter and Bagley agreed the insertion of the needle is equivalent to a mosquito bite.

"It may feel like a tingling sensation or a warmth," Ruh said.

"Many find the treatments relaxing and look forward to them."

While the type and frequency of treatments vary from person to person, Bagley said acupuncture can be explained "in terms of energy and blood channels."

"Channels of energy, or meridians, run in regular patterns through the body," Bagley said.

"These energy channels are like rivers flowing through the body. Any obstruction in these rivers causes a backup in the flow, which can lead to aching joints or other circulatory problems, for example."

Needling points in the body can unblock and reestablish a regular flow.

While the body is being stimulated, Bagley said, points in the nervous system react to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain.

"It is these chemicals which will change the experience of pain."

Ruh said, "Once a chord of balance is struck, the body can proceed with its natural healing abilities."

Just as the treatments vary from person to person, the outcome of treatments may be felt immediately or even days later, said Bagley, who studied traditional Chinese medicine for more than 200 hours through a medical extension program at the University of California.

"Some may even walk away feeling worse than they came but get better and better as time progresses," he said. "Then some people may never respond."

Ruh said, "Acupuncture functions to allow the body to heal itself."

The never-ending conflict: Western vs. Eastern medicine

Acupuncture is "a reputable form of medicine." So goes the argument continuously being echoed both in and outside of the medical community.

Ruh said, "It is not about saying Western is better than Eastern or vice versa. Western medicine obviously has some methods that just work for certain things, and so does Eastern practices."

Hutter said, "As time passes, physicians are seeing the good in acupuncture and are beginning to recommend it to their patients."

"More and more, it is being recognized and accepted as a feasible form of medicine."

Although he practices acupuncture now, Hutter was anything but receptive to acupuncture eight years ago. In 1994 he was told to see an acupuncturist or continue to deal with chronic fatigue caused by Lyme disease.

"Nothing else worked, and what did I have to lose?" he said. "It (acupuncture) was the absolute last straw," he said.

"My energy came back, my memory was sharper, and I was less agitated," he explained.

Hutter, who is an avid tennis player, said he felt the results immediately and knew at that moment, "I wanted to pursue a career in acupuncture because if it worked for me, it could work just the same for someone else."

University of Tennessee Medical Center surgeon Henry Nelson stood steadfastly behind everything he learned in medical school and felt the same way about acupuncture as Hutter did prior to his treatment.

But after suffering from lower back pain for years and undergoing surgery after a car accident, Nelson went under the care of Bagley to alleviate his pain.

"It hurt a bit," he said. "But to actually feel the electric-like stimulation is unexplainable."

"Although I hurt in one area the needles would be placed in a whole other region," explained Nelson of his acupuncture treatments, which varied from eight minutes to 30 minutes each session.

"I still believe you can cut it where it hurts and fix the problem because I am still a surgeon," Nelson said. "But I am no longer skeptical of acupuncture and its capabilities."

Gaining the same level of respect from insurance companies remains elusive. Many do not consider acupuncture a suitable -- or covered -- treatment option.

Bagley said, "Acupuncture associations and organizations are still working on this."

In a February study of 2,000 people in a Reuters Health Report, those with full coverage are five times more likely than those without coverage to visit an alternative medicine provider.

Hutter said, "I know there is a conflict when it comes to people even making an appointment to see an acupuncturist because of this fact. I will work with people if there is a need to."

Hutter said the combination of Western and Eastern medical thought is in part what makes acupuncture work.

"It is not just the sticking of needles," Ruh said. "It is a system of things that includes exercise and diet, which makes acupuncture effective."

Whole Mind, Body and Spirit

For more than five years Cynthia Rocha's body felt like a pretzel all the time -- "tied up and knotted up.

"At times I just felt like I wanted to scream," said Rocha, who has fibromyalgia.

While her body was filled with racking pain, Rocha said the tension showed up in the form of headaches and even in the spirit she carried throughout the day.

"I took the pills and did the exercises, but the more I did, the worse I felt and the more I wanted to stay in bed," said Rocha, who is a professor at the University of Tennessee.

Rocha said it wasn't until she began seeing Hutter for treatments a little over a year ago that she realized "the mind, body and spirit all work together when receiving acupuncture."

The root of the disease, not just the symptoms, has to be treated, said Hutter, who also practices and teaches yoga.

Rocha said she really hates needles, but to "feel the pressure point of a needle and feel all the hurt go away is worth the brief pinch."

Health is connected to emotions, and emotions are connected to the mind, said Hutter, who practices five- element acupuncture, which incorporates the four seasons and the Earth when evaluating an ailment.

"It's not about a quick fix," Rocha said. "Acupuncture fixes the whole person."

Chandra Harris may be reached at 342-6425, 981-9106 or harrisc@knews.com.

　　From Knoxnews.com