Date of Award
2019
First Advisor
Sarah Snyder
Second Advisor
Chris Coggins
Abstract
Acupuncture has been practiced as a healing modality for much longer than other healing systems that are still in use today. Although most commonly associated with its long history in Chinese medicine, there is growing evidence that forms of acupressure stimulation have been incorporated into other cultural healing practices, including several outside of Asia. This thesis presents a history of acupuncture focusing mostly on China, and examines how this treatment modality is being incorporated into Western biomedical practices with a primary focus on pain management. In order to fully integrate acupuncture into American medicine, structural barriers such as insurance coverage and acceptance by the medical community need to be reevaluated to reflect the literature supporting acupuncture’s efficacy. By interlacing narratives of my personal experience with acupuncture between each chapter, I hope to relate to readers by connecting the objective research to an accompanying case study.
Recommended Citation
Shabazz, Bruna, "The Efficacy of Acupuncture for Pain Management and Its Implementation in American Healthcare" (2019). Senior Theses. 1366.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/1366
Simon's Rock students and employees can log in from off-campus by clicking on the Off-campus Download button and entering their Simon's Rock username and password.