How to Use Acupuncture to Treat an Ulcer

Acupuncture is a common Chinese treatment for ulcers. An ulcer is a wound located in the digestive tract. It is normally located in the esophagus, stomach or small intestine. Excessive amounts of stomach acid can cause and then aggravate ulcers. Acupuncture is thought to decrease acid in the stomach, and is a way to treat an ulcer with fewer side effects than medication. Acupuncture uses needles to stimulate points on the body called meridian points, which are thought to balance bodily energy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Decide When to Use Acupuncture to Treat an Ulcer

1. Consult your doctor about how to use acupuncture to treat an ulcer. Ask about the risks and benefits of acupuncture therapy, and discuss whether or not it will affect your current treatment regimen.
2. Visit an acupuncturist. Find one near you through the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture website (see Resources below).
3. Try electro-acupuncture if traditional acupuncture therapy is not working for your ulcer. In electro-acupuncture therapy, the acupuncture needles are connected to an electro-stimulator.
4. Consider He-Ne Laser therapy if you have an ulcer that will not heal or you have a fear of needles. During this mode of therapy, laser rays (rather than needles) are used to stimulate acupuncture points. He-Ne Laser therapy is painless and commonly used for severe ulcer treatment.
5. Use acupuncture to treat ulcer-related symptoms. Commonly treated symptoms are chronic pain, insomnia, constipation and diarrhea.
6. Ask your doctor about using acupuncture anesthesia instead of local anesthesia while undergoing tests to diagnose your ulcer. Acupuncture anesthesia is helpful for patients who do not respond well to anesthesia or who are at risk for complications.
7. Get your acupuncturist to apply dry moxa leaves to acupuncture areas, a procedure called moxibustion. The leaves are used to stimulate the acupuncture points with heat and are thought to be helpful with diarrhea, a common ulcer symptom.
8. Maintain your acupuncture with plum blossom therapy. Plum blossom therapy is acupuncture with a needled hammer used to tap meridian points.
9. Review the text of "Acupuncture" by Marie Cargill (see Resources below). "Acupuncture" was written by an acupuncturist, and it provides information on many ailments acupuncture is used to treat, including ulcers.

Tips & Warnings

• Check your insurance policy for acupuncture coverage. Many policies cover acupuncture treatments, and some can provide you with a list of acupuncturists that will process your insurance.

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