Acupuncture experts unveil the fourth English edition of "Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion" in Maryland, the United States, on Sept. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhou Zhou)
The United States is seeking non-pharmaceutical approaches to pain management and addiction, and the acupuncture is one of the most promising therapies.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The new edition of a widely-received international acupuncture textbook was marketed in the United States on Saturday, offering a long-awaited tutorial for the growing number of acupuncture practitioners in the country.
"Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion," initially edited by the late Chinese acupuncture master Cheng Xinnong, included, in its fourth English edition, treatment techniques for more common diseases for modern people.
Also, it was more integrated with World Health Organization medical standards in describing the locations and structures of acupoints, the specific points on the body where a needle is inserted, said Cheng Kai, an editor of the new book and professor in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, at the launching ceremony.
Allyson Wilson, an acupuncture therapist, told Xinhua that "it is the basic in the United States you have to read to begin understanding the traditional Chinese medicine."
Acupuncture, which has been practiced in China for thousands of years, is being increasingly embraced by patients and doctors in the United States. There are about 38,000 licensed acupuncturists and more than 60 authorized acupuncture schools in the country.
Megan Haunges, administrative dean of New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told Xinhua that the new edition would be helpful to the new generation of students who came from all walks of life. Haunges' school taught 200 students including physical therapists and nurses.
Cheng Kai (2nd L), an editor of the new book "Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion" and professor in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, demonstrates the needle therapy at an acupuncture seminar in Maryland, the United States, on Sept. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhou Zhou)
Now, the U.S. medicare and medicaid are looking to acupuncture as a way to address the opioid crisis in the country, according to Haunges. The United States is seeking non-pharmaceutical approaches to pain management and addiction, and the acupuncture is one of the most promising therapies.
"The acupuncture is becoming better known and integrated into the general health care, like the cancer hospitals," said Wilson, who taught 150 students at Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine in Florida.
Hundreds of clinical studies on the benefits of acupuncture show that it improves conditions ranging from back pain to nausea and even depression, insomnia, and infertility, according to the Center for Integrative Medicine at University of California, San Diego.
Cheng Kai, the grandson of Cheng Xinnong, also gave a lecture on Saturday on the ongoing two-day seminar where nearly 100 acupuncture therapists from across the country joined to learn the needle techniques.
Acupuncture has shown effectiveness in treating emotional, metabolic, degenerative, neurological, digestive and reproductive system diseases, according to Cheng.
At the U.S. Center for Chinese Medicine in Maryland, Cheng demonstrated how to stick the needle tips into the proper depths to solve shoulder and back problems, and how to use a Virtual Reality system to improve acupuncture teachings.
