Acupuncture, ancient way of treating many diseases

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

According to Professor Cemal Çevik (standing) of Gazi University Acupuncture Diagnosis and Treatment Center, acupuncture is more effective in the treatment of diseases like obesity, migraine as well as addictions like smoking. ‘Also, since there is no use of drugs, organs are not damaged in the scupuncture treatment,’ Çevik says. AA photo

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, acupuncture, the method of inserting thin needles into specific points of the body, is applied in the treatment of nearly 300 diseases, from respiratory problems to psychiatric and cardiovascular diseases.

Professor Cemal Çevik, from Ankara’s Gazi University Acupuncture Diagnosis and Treatment Center, said as an aftercare treatment, acupuncture was used in the treatment of many diseases and gave very good results.

He said private polyclinics had been recently opened in Turkey for the treatment of obesity and smoking habits. Campaigns had been launched but neither was successful. “Acupuncture is more effective in the treatment of such addictions,” he said.

Treating 300 diseases

Çevik said acupuncture was used in the treatment of 300 diseases determined by the WHO, and would be more popular if the Social Security Institution (SGK) covered its expenses. He said modern medical techniques were insufficient in the treatment of problems like migraines because patients used many drugs and their organs were damaged by side effects of those drugs. “With the method of inserting needles into acupuncture points in our body, the rate of healing increases and organs are not damaged because drugs are not used.”

He said most patients at their center began to recover within three months. “For example, a patient has pains from his waist to heels because of disk displacement. He is relieved of this pain as soon as he comes to us. For acupuncture, we use the word complementary medicine rather than alternative medicine. When we see that a migraine patient will not recover with modern medicine methods, we use acupuncture,” said Çevik.

He said the human body had 26 energy channels and a life liquid flowed through each channel. “Disease occurs at the points where this liquid does not flow. All organs interact with each other.” He said their treatment put needles at acupuncture points on these channels.

Çevik said the disadvantage of acupuncture was its cost, and its expenses were not covered by SGK. “I believe that acupuncture will receive more interest if expenses are covered.”

Çevik said acupuncture was a Latin word meaning to pierce, adding Chinese people were the first known users of the method. He said the technique was discovered by Uyghur Turks and used in treatments of various diseases. “Acupuncture was transmitted to Uyghur Turks by Chinese people and they improved this treatment method.”