Some of the home remedies, such as the use of epsom salt, until very recently (in the past 4-5 years) was ridiculed by the physicians as a treatment with no scientific basis. Now, it is well known that epsom salt is an excellent calcium channel blocker and a strong osmotic pressure agent purifying the blood as well as acting as a strong anticonvulsant. The obese and hypertensive young females going through a complicated pregnancy and delivery can end up dying from frequent epileptic seizures and increased intracranial pressure. The standard anticonvulsants are not strong enough to save the patient’s life. A simple magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) enema saves the life of the mother and child. As a matter of fact, the latest medical articles in the past 3 years have emphasized the importance of replacing the treatment for eclampsia with magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) rather than standard anticonvulsants.

The same Chinese physicians apply acupuncture as a form of acute anesthesia to prepare the patient to undergo removal of gall bladder, lung, or appendix without the use of any other anesthetic. The theory behind the acupuncture is that the human body generates and produces energy meridians. These energy meridians are augmented and strengthened by application of the acupuncture needle through the skin. The needle stimulation is applied to certain parts of the body such as extremities, head and face, and even abdominal structures.

As such, acupuncture is quite an invasive procedure and should not be taken lightly. As an invasive procedure, in untrained hands, it can cause bleeding in the internal structures, and it can introduce hepatitis virus, and in at least one case in France it has been reported as venipuncture transmitting HIV infection (AIDS).

One important advantage of the acupuncture is avoidance of anesthetic drugs which may cause potential of serious complications.

Another advantage of the procedure is the fact that acupuncture significantly relieves the referred pain. Referred pain points to the well known physiological fact that the original pain in the injured area has a tendency to be referred to other parts of the body through spread of impulse at the spinal cord level. This phenomenon has been well studied by modern medicine and has been shown to be due to the fact that the pool of sensory nerves in the spinal cord have a tendency to overlap and represent different regions of the body. For example, in a child, appendicitis does not cause pain in the lower abdomen, but it causes pain below the chest wall and in the upper abdominal region. Another example is the fact that neuropathic pain such as CRPS frequently and invariably causes referred pain. Some examples are the development of severe headache, neck pain, dizziness, and vertigo, as a referred pain originating from the injured nerves in the foot or hand, elbow or knee.

When applying acupuncture to the referred pain area, not only can it improve and even block the pain in the distal original area of injury, but it can also improve the circulation to the extremities almost as effectively as a nerve block.

Acupuncture is an acute invasive procedure and is most effective as relief of acute bouts of pain- be it chronic pain with acute attacks, or acute pain, as with injury to the tissues such as an appendix or gall bladder.

Besides infection, bleeding, and brief duration of treatment, acupuncture can provide repetitive, temporary pain relief masking the progressively deteriorating original pathology such as cancer, or nerve impingement. This masking effect may cause delay in diagnosis of cancer, CRPS, and other pathologic conditions that cannot be expected to be cured by simple acupuncture treatments.

CRPS patients are already at a disadvantage by being diagnosed as "myofascial syndrome," "fibromyalgia," "Munchausen Syndrome," "carpal tunnel syndrome," "thoracic outlet syndrome," "tarsal tunnel syndrome," "disc herniation," "Raynaud’s Phenomenon," and many other euphemisms. The treatment with acupuncture will further delay the proper diagnosis and treatment.

OTHER RISKS AND DANGERS RELATED TO ACUPUNCTURE

Unfortunately, the treating physicians or non-physician acupuncture specialists, are reluctant to report the complications of this invasive procedure. Even though the majority of the states require certification for acupuncture specialists that is not enough to count them as specialists willing to report the complications. A lot of times, the complications are blamed as the complications of the original illness for which acupuncture was applied.

Not only does the acupuncture cause delay in the proper diagnosis, but also gives a false sense of security to the acupuncturist and the patient that the acupuncture is going to cure the condition.

To expect the acupuncture to cure the condition is as ridiculous as expecting trigger point injections with local anesthetic or diagnostic sympathetic ganglion blocks to cure CRPS.

Having treated CRPS patients for over 35 years, I have yet to see one CRPS patient that was improved or underwent remission after treatment with acupuncture.

In conclusion, acupuncture is an acute procedure applied for acute pain or nausea, or for temporary anesthesia. It cannot be expected to relieve, correct, or improve the complications of CRPS.