Acupuncture Used As Alternative Pain Relief In Iraq
Iraqi doctors in Baghdad have turned to an alternative medicine when they experienced a deficiency in the supply of a much used anti-natal drug for treating pregnancies. When doctors and anaesthetists realised their stocks of oxytocin was running low they considered the possible alternatives in tackling the pain endured during labour.
They chose to experiment with a practice known as acupuncture in which they inserted fine needles into certain points on the body to determine whether they could reduce or replace the need for the drug which was in low supply at the time. They found that the ancient Chinese method could be a useful addition to standard medical practice.
The doctors conducted the treatment over a period of two years with patients who needed emergency caesarean procedures. It replaced the drug which was used to help the womb contract and cut the risk of bleeding. Acupuncture is the most popular of alternative medicines and is based on the theory that inserting and manipulating fine needles at specific points will control the body’s natural ‘Chi’ or energy.
They inserted six acupuncture needles into the mother’s toes and ankles and manually stimulated for five to 10 minutes immediately after delivery. Supposedly, the acupuncture points related to bleeding from the womb, prolapse of the womb, difficult labour, uterine contractions, and retention of the placenta.
The results are widely regarded as a great step forward in a world of necessity such as war torn Baghdad. But the study is not without it’s critics, Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Britain’s Peninsula Medical School said Zcherky’s study was misleading and “The fact is that, until fairly recently, women gave birth without medication or acupuncture and, in some parts of the world, they still do.”
In addition to the study, the doctors have commissioned a series of tests on a variety of patients to investigate the possibilities of the treatment in other areas of medicine; they maintain that it is a study to develop an emergency substitute if there was a disruption in the supply, rather than a money saving technique.
There are a variety of alternative medicines available locally such as hypnotherapy Wilmslow and osteopathy Cheshire
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