A study undertaken in Milan, Italy shows that acupuncture can accelerate return to consciousness following a general anaesthetic. Fifty patients in recovery were randomly assigned to five groups: acupuncture at one of three point combinations, acupuncture at two sham points, or no acupuncture at all. Signs of recovery appeared faster in patients given true acupuncture compared with those in the sham and no-acupuncture groups. The most effective treatment was a combination of a point on the foot, with a point on the face traditionally considered a “first-aid point” to restore consciousness.
(Acupuncture accelerates recovery after general anesthesia: a prospective randomized controlled trial. Journal of Integrative Medicine, March 2015.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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