Acupuncture and Multiple Sclerosis by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc Brian is the founder of the Pulse of Oriental Medicine, medical professor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and author of Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure.
	I asked today by a family member for my opinion on acupuncture and multiple sclerosis for a friend of theirs. That's a tough one. A degenerative disease with no cure, right? Our typical modern expectation is that advanced scientific techniques, perhaps stem cell research, perhaps the exploitation of new human genome technology

It might seem surprising, or perhaps laughable, then, that an ancient natural medicine could offer hope. But there is always hope with herbs and acupuncture for several reasons. First, acupuncture since it is regulatory and health promoting in most cases. Second, acupuncture is a whole body therapy that works primarily through the nervous system, the system in which multiple sclerosis does its damage. Moreover, the immune system plays a role, and acupuncture regulates immunity. Acupuncture and multiple sclerosis is sounding less far fetched, isn't it?

Acupuncture's ability to promote and regulate health: usually, the most basic acupuncture points that we learn in our first year of school will improve the health of anyone. But when the goal is cure, it's harder to say, and expertise is more important. Still, Chinese medicine can be personalized to a high degree, so individual problems, tendencies, and obstacles can be overcome.

Acupuncture's neurologic and immunologic mechanisms are discussed in more detail in acupuncture research, and well summarized in Donald Kendall's Dao of Chinese Medicine.

More:

• Here's an anectdotal experience with acupuncture and multiple sclerosis.
• We have some clinical results in a press release from Univ of B.C.
• Acupuncture theory has been used for early diagnosis of MS
• Here's a more comprehensive examination of acupuncture and multiple sclerosis
• And here's a thorough academic exploration of Chinese herbs for MS

That's plenty to chew on. The answer is: find the best acupuncturist in your area and work with them weekly or twice a week for several months at least and see what happens.