Dear Robin:

I praise God that you are both thoughtful and faithful enough to want to check these out before jumping into the waters of something that may not be proper for a Christian. Most people are not so thoughtful.

I am going to answer your question much more broadly than a mere direct answer. Instead I think it may be important to discuss the whole issue of Alternative Medicine in terms of the three problems to consider before deciding to use alternative medical techniques:

1. Consider Worldview: All of knowledge -- medical, philosophical, religious, etc. -- is based upon a presumption and foundation of some worldview.  The judgment and assessment of things will vary depending upon the worldview one presumes.

As Christians, we are obligated to look at the world and to assess the things of the world according to the Christian worldview. Since Christianity is unfortunately split into many sects, we as Catholics need to further define and assess Christianity through the Catholic worldview.

With this said, now let us assume that we are going to develop a home remedy. We must build that home remedy on the foundation of truth that the Bible says is the Church. Doing this will effect how our home remedy will be developed and shaped. If we were to construct our home remedy according to some other foundation (worldview) other than Catholicism then although that home remedy make look similar to one developed according to a Catholic worldview, it will have elements that are not Catholic since it was not built upon a Catholic foundation.

For example, if we were to develop a home remedy using chicken soup that can be done within the Catholic (and I might add even the scientific) worldview. If we developed our chicken soup remedy by including some herbs that have been "blessed" by the devil or have been prayed over by occultic ritual and the like, then we have a problem. While the herb itself may be harmless, the fact that the herb received a demonic blessing or was offered to Satan in a prayer and ritual is a real problem for a Christian. If the cosmology we use is not Catholic we may also come to believe that the chicken soup can remedy all sorts of things that it cannot remedy.

Acupuncture was developed under a worldview that is inconsistent with Christianity. The cosmology that acupuncture is founded upon is a false cosmology based upon the notion of energy flows in the body that must be attuned to the energy of the universe. Acupuncture, it is thought, corrects the energy imbalances in the body and thus attuning our bodies with the universal energy. When we are in "balance" we find healing.

These energy flows, in the first place, located in what is called meridians, do not exist. In the second place the relationship of our bodies with the universe as described by this cosmology also does not exist.

Thus, although there might be some scientifically verifiable benefits of acupuncture, the practice itself is based upon a false worldview and thus some aspects of it will also be false.

Satan loves to try to trip us up by using two essential methods:

 a. the Grain of Truth Method: In this method Satan will take a grain of truth (and there is a grain of truth in acupuncture) and surround that grain with a bunch of falsehood. He knows that often people will see the grain of truth and just ASSUME that all things surrounding that grain are okay too. This is a deadly assumption.

b. the Poison Apple Method: In this method Satan will take something that looks good and useful and beneficial to us, and that may be perfectly okay for us normally, but he takes a hypodermic and inserts a little bit of poison in the middle. If we take a bit out of that apple without cutting it open to examine it to be sure it is good, we bit into the poison and die.

Depending upon one's point-of-view concerning things like acupuncture, Satan can use either of these methods to trip us up.

2. Consider the Practitioner: Many practitioners of alternative medicine may present themselves in a very professional and scientific manner. They may even be medical doctors giving the impression that their approach is purely medical and scientific. Beware the practitioner! Unbeknownst to the patient, the practitioner, if he is coming from an oriental worldview, may be praying for you to a false god while performing the procedure.

I know this to be possible because I use to practice and train others in a procedure known as acupressure (a form of acupuncture that uses the fingers and hands instead of needles to apply pressure to the acupuncture points). When I worked on someone I was also praying to some new age "force" at the same time. This is common practice among some, but not all, practitioners.

If one is to use alternative medical techniques, then be sure that practitioner is coming from a scientific point-of-view understanding the scientifically verifiable effects of technique and its limitations, and NOT coming from the oriental cosmology. If the practitioner believes that any particular technique or remedy, including acupuncture, can solve most any problem, RUN, do not walk, away from that person. NO technique is a cure-all.

3. Consider the Science: This leads us to discuss the issue of whether the alternative medical techique or remedy actually works for anything or is just a bunch of hooey, or has effects that are occultic. A consideration of the science needs to be reviewed for any alternative medical technique or remedy. For our present purposes, let us consider the science concerning acupuncture:

A very good reference book to check on the science and verifiability of "alternative medicine" techniques is a book by Dr. Rosenfeld called, Dr. Rosenfeld's Guide to Alternative Medicine : What Works, What Doesn't And What's Right for You.

Dr. Rosenfeld is not Christian, thus some of his advice does not take into consideration particular Christian concerns, but this book is valuable in getting information about the medical aspects of Alternative Medicine techniques.

Dr. Rosenfeld's analysis of acupuncture is too extensive to include in this forum, but essentially he says that acupuncture can be useful in pain control. Here is an excerpt from his "bottomline":

...(in the operating room, acupuncture) is not an ideal anesthetic. It works in only 20 percent of cases of major surgery, and is not nearly as effective or predictable as the modern, sophisticated agents and nerve blocks developed in the West. In fact, Chinese surgeons don't use acupuncture anesthesia very often and usually give additional painkillers when they do -- just to be sure. But that's not the point. The question is not how good an anesthetic acupuncture is, but whether or not it can control pain in certain situations. In my opinion, the answer to that question is "yes."

I suggest that you stay with conventual anesthesia if you're having major surgery. But is you've got a bad back or some other chronic disorder that's giving you round-the-clock pain; if you suffer from asthma or irritable bowel; if you're addicted to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs; or if chemo-therapy is giving you intolerable nausea, try acupuncture from a qualified practitioner. If you've had a stroke, or suddenly develop weakness or paralysis of a limb, ask your doctor or neurologist about early acupuncture. The data here are impressive.

Thus the "bottomline" in your case, to answer your question directly now, is that acupuncture "might" be helpful.

The caution is to find a practitioner who is not "new age" and who understands it limitations and does not claim more than what acupuncture can offer. You will probably be okay if you go to a Western trained doctor who is also certified in acupuncture who is sponsored by a reputable hospital.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary