A Speech About Acupuncture

Acupuncture

Six months ago, my 78-year-old grandmother was quickly losing her independence. Severe arthritis in both knees hampered her ability to take care of herself. Shopping, getting around the neighborhood, even walking down her front steps was becoming almost impossible. Pain medications helped somewhat, but the side effects created their own problems. Then her doctor suggested acupuncture. My grandmother was skeptical at first, but she was willing to try just about anything. She did, and the results were miraculous. After six weeks, her pain and stiffness were significantly reduced, she was able to take care of her apartment again, she could get out on her own to go shopping, to visit friends and family, and to do the other things her arthritis had prevented in the past. Acupuncture restored her quality of life and her independence. My grandmother’s story is not unique. Performed for well over 2,000 years in China and other parts of Asia, acupuncture is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. and other Western countries for one simple reason—it works. Impressed by my grandmother’s experience, I began acupuncture treatments for my migraine headaches, and now my headaches are completely gone. [Transition]Now that we have seen acupuncture has been widely used in west,let’s look at some examples.[Internal Preview]I will focus on three main uses --- using in the West for pain management,using in the West to help break physical addictions and using in the West to treat anxiety and depression.[Signposts]The first evidence of pain management is that Millions of Westerners rely on acupuncture to reduce pain from arthritis,back sprains,and even some forms of cancer.The second evidence of the value is that testimony for pain management is well documented,we have testimony from Pain Management Center in Toronto,Canada and example of Jurgen Streck from Hamburg,Germany.From story of Linda Chang and New York’s statistics,we can find that acupuncture is gaining popularity as a way to help people stop smoking.Acupuncture is also being used in the battle against alcoholism. From Psychiatric Times Online’s statistics and testimony from Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford,England,we know that many Westerners are turning to acupuncture to deal with anxiety and depression.This trend is part of a movement toward natural remedies.

[Internal Summary]In short,acupuncture is used in the West for pain management,breaking physical addictions and treating anxiety and depression.