By Sabra Stafford
Saturday, August 6, 2005 1:40 AM PDT


http://www.turlockjournal.com/articles/2005/08/06/neighbors/neighbors
1.txt

Imagine you're in the grips of a raging headache.

Instead of taking a few aspirin, you visit the nearest
acupuncturist, who inserts a few needles into your skin. It may
sound odd now, but more people are trying the ancient Chinese
practice as it becomes mainstream in Western medicine.

Bodo Klawonn, licensed acupuncturist and owner of the Turlock
Acupuncture Treatment Center says he typically sees 20 to 35
patients for the three days his clinic is open.

"A lot of people ask me what is this all about," Klawonn said. "They
ask me, 'what can this little needle do?' It's a traditional
medicine and the idea is to promote the body to heal. It's a natural
way to hear your body."

Acupuncture is an ancient healing practice originating out of China
more than 3,000 years ago.

The concept behind acupuncture is the stimulation and balancing of
the body's energy force, known as Qi (pronounced Chee).


Qi flows through the body on Meridians or channels that run up and
down the body.

The meridians connect the Qi to internal organs, muscular and joint
structures, and the nervous system.

On some areas of the skin, the Meridians come to the surface.

These areas are known as acupoints and when they are stimulated by
applying pressure, it allows for a change in the Qi's flow.



Acupuncture is usually used as a preventive treatment, but it's also
used for treating chronic pain conditions, headaches, auto immune
diseases, and fertility.

Klawonn says he usually recommends a course of six treatments,
unless it's something like a headache, which he says can usually be
taken care of with one treatment.

Typically, acupuncturists use six types of needles that vary in
shape, size and length.

The disposable needles are inserted into the skin at different
degrees.

Once inserted, the acupuncturist will then perform techniques like:
Raising and thrusting; twirling; plucking; scraping, or trembling to
create sensations in the patient called degi (pronounced dah-chee).

Techniques are chosen according to the type of ailment or condition
being treated.

Klawonn has been practicing acupuncture since 1994 and took over the
Turlock practice in 2000.

The German native is the first non-Chinese practitioner to work at
the center. Klawonn originally started in pre-med and became
interested in acupuncture while in an integrated health studies
program.

In addition to working at his practice, Klawonn also teaches at the
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco.
He says that most people feel hesitant about trying acupuncture
because they worry about the pain.

"Everybody thinks it is an old time torture," Klawonn said. "The
initial prick has a little pain, but after that there is none."

The reason there is so little pain according to Klawonn has to do
with the type of needles being used.

Acupuncture needles are very thin, unlike hypodermic needles which
are big and hollow, and they are only inserted a few millimeters
into the skin.

Klawonn also points out that a good acupuncturist will put the
patient at ease so that they don't really notice the insertion.

"I joke, I make them laugh," Klawonn said. "I try and distract them
but really, they have to think about the outcome. I go to the
dentist and I don't like to go, but you have the problem fixed and
then you feel better."

Acupuncture doesn't always involve needles. It also includes deep
massage called acupressure and cupping.

Cupping is a type of acupuncture that stimulates the acupoints by
creating suction from a metal, wood or glass jar in which a partial
vacuum has been created.

The suction causes blood congestion at the site, inducing
stimulation. It's used for lower back pain, sprains, soft tissue
injuries and helps relieve fluid from the lungs in chronic
bronchitis, according to acupressure.com.

While returning patients will attest to the procedure's success,
scientific studies have yet to find definitive proof of its
viability. For every study that says acupuncture works, another says
it doesn't.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a recent
clinical trial of migraine sufferers that found acupuncture had no
significant decrease in the amount or intensity of migraines.

The British Medical Journal published a study this Monday that
reports that acupuncture was successful in treating tension
headaches, cutting the rates by almost half.

The study did conclude however that it was the needling that
mattered more than the points they were inserted.

California law regulates acupuncture centers and requires that they
use disposable needles and that all acupuncturists are licensed.