Acupuncture and chronic pain relief
Bridie Rogers
Textile
My embroidery depicts the points on the body where needles are inserted during acupuncture.
This was inspired by a patient I met during our online primary care placement, who was suffering from chronic leg pain which stemmed from an operation five years prior. Although the patient was taking various prescribed medicines for this pain, she was also interested in exploring alternative medical treatments and decided to try acupuncture. She told us that it greatly improved her chronic pain, although she does still have some difficulty.
This interested me as previously I had never given much thought or credence to alternative therapies, but the success for both this patient and for many others made me reconsider my cynical stance and recognise the genuine benefit it can give to many suffering with chronic pain – a debilitating ‘invisible illness’ that has huge consequences on daily life and mental health. As well as acupuncture, this patient also used a TENS machine, another alternative therapy I had heard little about until the patient explained it to us. The machine is a method of pain relief that involves the use of a mild electrical current. The fact that this patient was able to gain pain relief through these alternative methods reminded me how prevalent the use of alternative medicine is in the UK, and how as practitioners we need to consider the role it might play in a patient’s lifeworld.
My embroidery evokes the traditional Chinese origin of acupuncture and depicts meridians – paths through which “life-energy” (qi) flows. However, the majority of modern acupuncture practitioners no longer use this belief system (which many now regard as pseudoscience) and now focus on more localised areas. It is most frequently used for chronic pain and migraines, which occur in the British population at 43% and 12% respectively. Western acupuncture works by stimulating nerves under the skin and in the muscles, which releases substances such as endorphins which act to relieve pain (NHS). Acupuncture is occasionally available on the NHS but is most often administered privately.
The medium of embroidery reflects the practice of acupuncture – both intricate and painstaking processes which employ needles. I really enjoyed creating this embroidery despite having reservations about my artistic ability, and the process led me to think about the implications of chronic illness and alternative medicine on healthcare today.
Highly Commended for the Year One Effective Consulting Creative Prize, 2012
This piece is particularly interesting to me as I’ve just had a lecture about Medical diversity concerning alternative medicine. It was interesting to read about the experience the patient had with chronic pain and how much it had impacted them. The piece is beautiful to look at and its symbolism is very powerful as acupuncture is done with a sharp needle and this piece has been created with a needle and thread. The process to make the piece was probably quite long and arduous just like the patients experience chronic pain before acupuncture however the result is satisfying which represents the patient’s relief after trying acupuncture. I have heard the word acupuncture a couple of times, but never really knew what it meant and entailed. This piece and the writing alongside it left me with new knowledge and insight into alternative medicines.
I like how the art medium used points directly to the theme of the work – stitching using a needle produces a work about acupuncture, which also uses a needle. I think it is significant that a branch of medicine outside of the biomedical sphere was chosen, showing that this work has appreciation for alternative medicine. The piece is very visually appealing and the coloured lines stitched in to the body highlight a level of order within the body.
I like how this piece of art directly links itself with the process it depicts. Acupuncture is done using a needle and that is how this piece of artwork was created. In addition, splitting the sides of the body down the middle shows the two sides to medicine and how different conditions are treated. Some conditions can be seen on the surface of people, whereas other conditions require a deeper probing of the body to see where the problem lies. The contrast of the white background with the bold embroidery is very visually striking as well and i like the simplicity of it.
This piece stood out to me in particular due to the way the medium used in the piece of art is directly related to the process of acupuncture through the use of the needle . It highlights the importance of alternative medicine to those with chronic illnesses and how often many use it largely because they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations toward health and life. I also appreciate the contrast between the white background and the stitching , producing a simple but effective piece of work .