I

t may be older than any modern medical treatment, but patients have supported acupuncture’s effectiveness for thousands of years.

The use of tiny needles inserted into strategic locations across the body to cure illnesses may appear ancient when judged by current medical standards that are shaped by the technologies and complex pharmaceuticals used by doctors today. History undermines this judgement.

Acupuncture is believed to have been developed approximately 5,000 years ago as part of ancient Chinese culture. Recent studies show that there are legitimate reasons why acupuncture has prevailed for thousands of years, and why it has become a favorite alternative medical treatment for patients in large cities, including Jakarta.

Acupuncture clinics have sprung up across Jakarta, offering services for people with various medical problems. Many hospitals and doctors have also included acupuncture as part of their services.

Formal medical acknowledgement of the healing efficacy of acupuncture may have helped trigger the increase in public interest, Indonesian Acupuncture Association chairman Tomi Hardjatno said.

Western medicine once questioned the legitimacy of acupuncture, but doubts have gradually subsided as the technique has proven successful in treating numerous medical problems, Tomi said.

“The main reason is that acupuncture eases pain. It also can treat diseases and even afflictions that cannot be relieved by common medical approaches,” he added.

Rina Julianti supports Tomi. The 28-year-old paralegal had acute gastric problems that doctors could not cure. She then visited an acupuncture clinic in Bandung, West Java.

“I checked with doctors after the acupuncture treatment and they said my ulcer looked fine,” Rina said, adding that since then she prefers to go to acupuncturists rather than doctors when she has health problems.

Money may be another reason people are attracted to acupuncture.

Acupuncturists are far cheaper than doctors, Primanitya, a 30 year old consultant, says.

“I can feel better spending only Rp 50,000 [US$5.55],” she said, adding that she goes to acupuncturists every time she feels stress or has a stiff neck.

Like many others, Prima also goes to acupuncturists because the procedure poses fewer risks.

“When you go to doctors, they prescribe drugs and chemicals that infiltrate your body — but when you go to acupuncturists, you get nothing but needle pricks,” Prima added.

Doctor and acupuncturist, Heldy Sukmana, related the current acupuncture trend with the “back to nature” concept growing in society.

“It is started in the seventies when acupuncture became associated with cosmetic beauty aides,” Heldy said.

Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, invited two Chinese doctors to cure an illness using acupuncture, but Chinese Indonesians probably contributed to the development of acupuncture in Indonesia long before that, Heldy said.

People first used acupuncture in Indonesia for medical purposes, but as time progressed acupuncturists also used the technique for beauty treatments, such as weight loss and skin problems.

As more and more people accept acupuncture, doctors have also recognized its importance.

“Acupuncture has been regarded as an ‘added value’ for doctors when patients need more than just diagnoses and prescriptions. They also need to be touched,” Tomi said.

For that reason, many doctors have tried to learn acupuncture to attract more patients.

The Indonesian Acupuncture Association said it had 3,850 members last year, up 770 percent from only 500 members in 1997.