Acupuncture

I am writing in response to the letter by Dr. George Ulett in the February 6 issue on acupuncture. He stated, "The scientific practice of evidence-based acupuncture can no longer be classified as alternative medicine." He went on to say, "The traditional Chinese method of acupuncture has become obsolete." He then refers to the acupuncture meridians by enclosing the word meridians in quotation marks, suggesting that meridians may not be something that are real.

I have to report that I have undergone acupuncture treatment for borderline hypertension. I experienced a 10- to 15-point drop in my diastolic blood pressure and a 20-point drop in my systolic blood pressure without the use of any medication. I have been seeing an acupuncturist weekly, and she places four needles in what she calls the four gates, which are acupuncture points between the first and second toes and in the fleshy area between the thumb and forefinger. She stated that these open up various meridians and allow my "qi" to flow free of blockage.

On a more dramatic level, I know of a person who went to the same acupuncturist in chronic renal failure, with the information from his traditional Western doctors that he was going to die in two to three months because they had done all they could. After undergoing intensive acupuncture with her, he is still alive.

I believe that Dr. Ulett does history and traditional Chinese medicine a great disservice by dismissing something that has worked for centuries even though it lacks "scientific, evidence-based" proof that it works. Instead, he should be looking at what can be done to integrate traditional knowledge, which is not always evidence based, with current knowledge, without dismissing tradition.

Daniel B. Block, M.D.
West Grove, Pa.