The success of Aldi Essay Example for Free

The success of Aldi Essay Executive summary This report presents the current situation of UK supermarket especially Aldi by the PESTLE analysis, and the economic, social and technological are the main factors affecting the performance of supermarkets nowadays. For instance the unemployment rate, technology used and current trend. There is also a case study on Aldi, explaining the strategies used by Aldi, reducing cost to achieve its goal of providing both value and quality to the customers. Lastly, the report also distinguish that Aldi is applying the rational goal model, as Aldi has a clear goal and emphasis on the efficiency, and how the systematic working method of Aldi helps itself to reach the success. 1.0 Introduction In recent years, the whole UK grocery market are stretching continuously, about 4% bigger than a years ago(Supermarkets in the UK: Market Research, 2013). Aldi is one of the British ‘big four’ supermarkets in UK. It was started in 1913 as a family grocery business in Essen. In 1946, brothers Karl Albrecht and Theo Albrecht took over the business from their mother. Aldi is a supermarket flaunts low prices as its name Albrecht-Discount, and the mission statement of Aldi is†Incredible value everyday†. There are 512 stores in the UK, and over 7,600 worldwide. Aldi has increased its sales 32.7% year for the 12 weeks before September 15th (The Grocer, 24th September 2013). In this report, we’re going to use the PESTLE analysis to study the factors affecting the UK supermarket industry and especially Aldi, the approaches used by Aldi to gain the competitive advantage and the model of management of Aldi’s approach and discuss how the culture supports its strategies and lead to the success. 2.0 PESTLE Analysis PESTLE Analysis is a tool for people to understand the industry situation,  PESTLE stands for â€Å"Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental† factors. In the following, we will focus on the economic, social and technological factors( Boddy, D. and Paton, S.,2002). 2.1 Economic factors In 2013, UK is on the path of recovery. It is expected in the second half of 2014, the economy of UK will exceed the peak in 2008. It also says that the UKs GDP is now set to grow by 2.7% in 2014, an upgrade from a previous prediction of 2.2% as per data by BBC (British Chambers of Commerce) (Kern, 2013). Also, The European Central Bank has cut its inflation forecast for 2014, from 1.3 per cent to 1.1per cent (Yaker, 2013). For the unemployment rate, it stands at 7.4% down 0.3% on the quarter and 0.5% down over the year. The number of people employed was 250,000 higher this quarter and 485,000 higher than last year (HRM Guide, 2013). All the above changes and prediction of the economy are the considerations of Aldi, as they will affect the prices, demand, supply and finally the profit of supermarkets. Especially the unemployment rate, as people will have less disposable income when they have no jobs, they would then lower the demand on some leisure goods, for instance the snacks. In case of Aldi, as Aldi is aim at providing a cheaper price compare with its competitors, therefore the sale of Aldi will rise on the country as the unemployed will consider more on the price when they are in limited budget. 2.2 Social factors The British are more concern about healthy in recent years, there are concerns on organic food. People may rather consume an organic product with a higher price than an artificial stuff with lower price. And Aldi did catch on this trend and establish a product line called â€Å"Fit and Active† and organic toddler products to meet the recent needs of customers. There is also demographic problem of aging population in UK, leading to a paucity of labour in the supermarket as most low level work in supermarket require physical power and the elderly are not suitable for these. Aldi also focus on corporate social responsibility, they cooperate with many charities, for example, in 2011 Barnardo’s was Aldi’s charity of the year (The Times 100, 2013). 2.3 Technological factors Technology used by supermarkets will highly influence the efficiency of a supermarket. Most of the work in the supermarket are more or less the same and process daily, for example transportation of goods, storage, distribution system, packaging, etc. Much time can be saved if technology are developed for this simple but repeating tasks. For Aldi, their stores use the technologies like, intelligent scale, Wireless devices, Electronic shelf labeling, Radio Frequency Identification(RFID), and self-check-out machine (Gill, 2013). RFID technology is used to protect the warehouses, through the system, only people with the RFID tag will be allowed to go into the warehouses. 3.0 Strategies of Aldi All the customers want a product in the lowest price whilst possessing the highest quality. Aldi understand what customers need and offer them quality products at competitive prices. In some cases Aldi’s product are 30% cheaper than those offered by its competitors (The Time 100, 2013). According to the article(Competitive advantage through efficiency), The Time 100, the strategy used by Aldi is cost leadership strategy. This is an approach that the business eager to provide the lowest price among the market and this is achieved by cutting the cost without affecting the quality of goods which means it antagonizes with the competitors by price. Aldi is mainly based on the lean thinking principle to operate the business. The rule of lean production is getting more from less. In other words, using least resources to provide the largest amount of goods and services. Firstly, the time based management of Aldi. This is an approach aim at minimize the time the used in managing the business. In the supply chain,  Aldi will minimize the cost and time of delivery by getting most of the resources(fruit and vegetables) locally. Also, the approach is also implicated to the staffs of Aldi. The staffs of Aldi are trained to do variety of works, the multi-skilled staffs are able to lower the cost on employment of Aldi as they are able to perform different tasks. Different from the competitors, the opening hour of Aldi is regularly 8am to 8pm from Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, but not open for 24hours. This action is able to cut the cost of Aldi, as expenditure on light, wages, etc also need to be spend during the wee hours and the sale on those hours must be less than the day time. Secondly, the just-in-time approach applies on stock storage mentioned in the article. Aldi only holds the stock that it needs. As the expenditure of warehouses is high and therefore the cost on renting a warehouse and staffs on managing of the warehouse can be saved. In addition, Aldi’s products are delivered in display ready cases. Cost on managing the products can also be reduced. Aldi pays much effort on reducing costs and eliminating waste, applies the principle of lean thinking in every minutiae. Aldi is fully achieved its core purpose â€Å"Provide value and quality to our customers by being fair and efficient in all we do†. All Aldi have done is able to reduce the cost and turn out offering a lower price than its competitors, gain the reputation from customers. 4.0 Model of management of Aldi The rational goal model is the best model of management to represent Aldi’s management approach. This is an approach about an organization maximize its own capability to reach the goal. There is a clear direction of operating Aldi, offering the â€Å"happy price† to the customers. And Aldi has carry out a lot of practices in order to minimize the cost on operating the supermarket. There are different approaches throughout the whole process, from supply, delivery, grounding to packing. Every staff of Aldi is employed carefully, they should have enough capability to handle any task and duties of the day, they are trained to follow defined procedures. They are a group of flexible workforce to Aldi. The staffs of Aldi also receive a relatively high salary compare with other supermarkets and variety type of jobs enable employees to have high incentive to work. Apart from the skilled staffs, the measures of Aldi also bring itself to an upper level. These factors make Aldi processes in a high level of efficiency and productivity. The culture of Aldi is carrying out the scientific management. There are systematic working methods throughout every process as discussed above. Also, the business decisions are all made by the managers of Aldi, the employees only need to follow the defined procedures. There are a clear hierarchy among the employees. The employees have low-involvement employment relationship. This culture of Aldi can shorten the time of decision making as the decisions are only made by managers. In addition, there will lead to a quick reaction to the society changes for example the organic products cooperate to the health trend nowadays. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the performance of a supermarket can be influenced by many factors, and most of the factors cannot be anticipated especially the economic factors, for instance the unemployment rate and inflation rate. For the social factors, the recent trend will affect the products sold by supermarket, for example the organic line of Aldi. And the technological factors, technology is able to improve the efficiency of the supermarket as most of the tasks in a supermarket are simple and repeating. The strategies used by Aldi are eliminating waste to reduce the cost of production in order to offer the lowest price to the customers. For example the approaches used in the supply chain, staffs and the opening hours. All of these help Aldi to achieve its goal. Next, Aldi is operating in rational goal model as Aldi has a clear goal, emphasis on the productivity and efficiency. In addition, the culture of Aldi, systematic working methods is helping Aldi to further achieve its strategies. Reference list 1. Boddy, D. and Paton, S.(2002) Management an Introduction. 5th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited 2002, 2011 2. Barnat, R. (no date) Strategic Management: Formulation and Implementation Available at: http://www.strategic-control.24xls.com/en125 (Accessed: 16 January 2014) 3. Cost Leadership Strategy (no date) Available at: http://www.ecofine.com/strategy/cost%20leadership.htm (Accessed: 16 Jaunary 2014) 4. UK Unemployment (no date) Available at: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/jobmarket/unemployment.htm (Accessed: 15 January 2014) 5. Competitive advantage through efficiency (2013) Available at: www.thetimes100.co.uk (Accessed: 8 Jaunary 2014) 6. Prescott, R. (2013) The top 9 UK supermarkets in 2013 Available at: http://www.foodbev.com/news/the-top-9-uk-supermarkets#.UuBk9XmJMUt (Accessed: 12 January 2014) 7. Supermarkets in the UK: Market Research (2013) Available at: http://www.ibisworld.co.uk/market-research/supermarkets.html (Accessed: 12 January 2014) 8. Vizard, S. (2014) ‘Sainsbury’s Christmas marketing buzz fails to translate into sales’ Available at: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk (Accessed: 11 January 2014) 9. Gough, R. (2013) INTO UEA Diploma Business Lecture Notes, Autumn 2013 10. Aldi Homepage (no date) Available at: https://www.aldi.co.uk (Accessed: 3 January 2014)

Parkinsons Disease Essay -- Health

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a striatal dopamine deficiency disorder as a consequence of neuronal loss in the substania nigra. It is named after James Parkinson, a British apothecary, who first fully documented its physical signs in 1817. Since then, significant advances have been made in our understanding of characteristic pathophysiology as well as in the medical treatment of different stages of PD. An overview of condition features in terms of epidemiology, manifestations, diagnosis and disease management will be discussed in this paper. I. Epidemiology Parkinson’s disease is a common form of Parkinsonism, affecting as many as one out of every hundred people aged 65 years and over. The disease prevalence increases with age, with approximately 2% of those older than 80 years having PD. It is estimated that the number of patients diagnosed with PD is around 110,000 in the UK. No significant gender predominance has been recognised in most epidemiological studies although some evidence implies that men are more likely to develop PD than their counterparts. Owning to population aging, the incidence of PD is anticipated to rise dramatically in the coming decades. Despite being the second most common neurodegenerative illness after Alzheimer’s disease, the cause of PD remains elusive. To date, a considerable amount of literature has suggested that the disorder may be precipitated by either or both genetic and environmental factors (e.g. ingestion or inhalation of a neurotoxin called MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro pyridine). II. Manifestations Parkinson’s disease is classically characterised by the tetrad of clinical features, as follows: bradykinesia or slowness of movement, rest tremor (usually described as pil... ...W, Poewe W, Stocchi F, et al. Rasagiline as an adjunct to levodopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease and motor fluctuations (LARGO, Lasting effect in Adjunct therapy with Rasagiline Given Once daily, study): a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group trial. The Lancet. 12;365(9463):947–54. 10. Rabey JM, Sagi I, Huberman M, Melamed E, Korczyn A, Giladi N, et al. Rasagiline mesylate, a new MAO-B inhibitor for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease: a double-blind study as adjunctive therapy to levodopa. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2000 Dec;23(6):324–30. 11. Oldfield V, Keating GM, Perry CM. Rasagiline: a review of its use in the management of Parkinson’s disease. Drugs. 2007;67(12):1725–47. 12. Chen JJ, Ly A-V. Rasagiline: A second-generation monoamine oxidase type-B inhibitor for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2006 May 15;63(10):915–28.

Family Values Are Not Contradictory to Personal Choice as Well as Self-Fulfillment Essay

With the collapse of the traditional family mode and the accelerated development of the capitalist world, the world has changed significantly. According to John Dewey, â€Å"The significant thing is that the loyalties which once held individuals, which gave them support, direction, and unity of outlook on life, have well-nigh disappeared† (Individualism—Old and New, 1962). And the situation remains the same in the 21st century. There has been more flexibility on lifestyle and people are no longer under the pressure—or under less pressure –of forming a family. Some people choose to devote their whole self to what they want to do, claiming that carrying out family values will prevent themselves from choosing what they really want and affect the process of realizing self-fulfillment. There has been a heated debate on whether family values are contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. This essay will consider arguments in support of family values conflicting personal choice as well as self-fulfillment, and then point out the problems of these statements. It will set forth reasons why family values are not contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. Many people claim that people are not free to make personal choice because of family values, especially in a society dominated by Confucius culture, where several generations live together and filial piety as well as blood relationship is appreciated; however, this is not true. In Confucius culture, rather than love relationships between couples, much weight is put on the affection between family members. As Lin Yutang said in â€Å"The Chinese family ideal†, this affection contributes to a feeling of obligation which amounts to a deeply religious attitude. This leads some people to suspect that family members may have to sacrifice their own opportunities or even personal life for the advantage of the whole family, which negatively affects their pursuit of self-actualization. Generally speaking, this statement is true. Nevertheless, it is insufficient in the sense that it ignores the implications of affection between family members and wrongly interprets Confucius family mode. Chinese philosophers make the passion between husband and wife the very basis of a normal human life so much that they regard it as the very foundation of all normal human life (Lin Yutang, 1937). Besides, Confucius culture starts out with a belief that man exists as a member of family unit and no one exists completely alone. So, by emphasizing the affection between family members, Confucius culture regards one’s achievement the glory of his own and at the same time the glory of his family. In other words, the whole family will stand out if one member needs help, which means it is possible to facilitate his chase of self-fulfillment with the resource from the whole family. It can be inferred that with family values, how much easier it is for one to fulfill himself once he makes the decision. Family values play an important role in facilitating one’s pursuit of self-fulfillment, especially in a family appreciating Confucius culture. It has been argued by some that one evidence showing how family values are against personal choice as well as self-fulfillment is the unattainable balance between career and family; yet this statement is problematic. With the accelerated pace of city life in modern society, many people have failed to maintain a job and a family at the same time. And in most of the follow-up of these cases, men turn to career and have to spend little time with family members while women sacrifice their career to stay at home and look after the whole family, and more and more young people turn to a personal choice of remaining single in the name of pursuing self-fulfillment, instead of celebrating family values by marrying a spouse and having children as what people did in the old days. However, although the dilemma of modern citizens does exist, the statement above is no longer correct, for it is the result of misunderstanding. As Immanuel Kant introduced in his philosophical system, freedom is not about doing what we want according to instinct, but about realizing our free will by controlling our instincts. Therefore, family values are not to blame for restraining our choices as we are not free to our choices in the first place. People should face the fact that their time is limited and be aware of their unlimited choice of way of self-fulfillment. This means, to work for long hours to support the family is an admirable method to value the family and fulfill themselves as well. From my point of view, family values and personal choice as well as self-fulfillment are so tightly connected with each other that we cannot even separate them. Self-fulfillment is realized through a series of personal choices, and personal choice depends heavily on the influence of family values. Because the personal choice one makes is never fully personal. It is affected by numerous external factors, for example, the economic and political environment, the inter-person relationship as well as the mainstream values, and he justifies and weighs these factors using his beliefs which are influenced by his family values. On top of this, whatever the social environment and cultural background, the universal family values contain the concepts of flexibility, communication, compromise and unconditional love. Healthy family values are intended to make the family a positive and supportive place for members, facilitating their personal choices as well as self-fulfillment. After analyzing the arguments presented here for both sides of this question, it can be contended that family values are not contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. People’s belief for family values can be a strong support for one to realize his ambitions in the sense that the whole family will be his backing. And one’s pursuing for self-fulfillment can be another admirable way to celebrate family values. Family values, personal choice as well as self-fulfillment are actually interactive factors positively affecting each other.

Sensory Deficit of Touch, Its Pain and Acupuncture - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 12 Words: 3724 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/20 Category Health Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Running Head: TOUCH, PAIN, ACUPUNCTURE Sensory Deficit of Touch, its Pain and Acupuncture Applied Learning Paper Debra A. Hankerson Abstract This writer will be exploring the topic, Is acupuncture an effective therapeutic treatment for the chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch? Touch will be explored; what it is, causes for deficit of touch, chronic pain associated with the deficit, and the effects of the deficit. Acupuncture will be defined; its historical background and society’s acceptance or rejection of its use. This writer will identify its relevance as an alternative medicine for chronic pain either supporting or detracting in answering the topic question. Evaluate whether the research findings helped to answer the topic question. Concluding with what was learned; if it changed the perspective on the theory, did the writer’s Christian faith inform or bias the investigation, and does the theory fit within the Christian worldview. Int roduction After reading about sensory deficits and acupuncture in the text book I began to wonder if new inroads had been made in the acupuncture therapeutic treatment as a long-term solution when dealing with pain and the deficit of touch. The focus of my paper being, â€Å"Is acupuncture an effective therapeutic treatment for the chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch? † My interest this topic came about because I have this sensory deficit; have gone through acupuncture as a therapeutic treatment to relieve pain. I was also interested to find out if there have been new inroads with this treatment as far as a long-term relief. For me it was not successful. Touch Touch is the sense that enables an organism to get information about things that are in direct contact with its body. As one of the five senses, touch allows a person to feel heat, cold, pain, and pressure. â€Å"The sense of touch is the only sense experienced all over the body† (Land au, 2008). Touch has been called â€Å"the mother of senses†, perhaps because it was the first to develop in evolution. Touch is the earliest sensory system to develop in all animal species. The term touch includes several tactile senses: pressure, pain, temperature, and all muscle movements. Bruno and Carnagie (2001) state, â€Å"Touch is a very important sense, since it tells an organism a great deal about its immediate environment. † Bruno and Carnagie’s point is that touch is essential for our everyday well being. Touch is described as a group of senses by which contact with objects gives evidence as to their qualities, as registered by the skin and mucous membranes. Barth (2010) says, â€Å"There are several kinds of touch organs, called tactile corpuscles, in the skin and the mucous membranes. The sense of touch is identified with the largest organ in the human body – the skin. The fingers are more sensitive than any other area because they have more nerve endings. These changes help us to understand the causes. Causes of Touch Deficit The largest touch sensor, the Pacinian corpuscle, is located in the hypodermis, the innermost thick fatty layer of skin. This area responds to vibration. A disruption of the free nerve endings which are neutrons that originate in the spinal cord causes the transmission of information about temperature and pain to be somewhat non-existent (Strickland, 2001). This disruption is the result of injury, infection, and/or disease. With these significant changes, we need to understand just how touch deficit affects an individual. The Effects of Touch Deficit The loss or impairment of the ability to feel anything touched is called tactile anesthesia. Paresthesia is a sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness of the skin that may result from nerve damage and may be permanent or temporary. Touch has widespread distribution, unlike the sensory receptors for sight, vision, smell, and taste which ar e clustered in the head (Angier, 2008). The disruption of the touch receptors heightens the pain receptors which are nerve bundles with bare endings that fire when surrounding tissue is damaged. This in turn causes the lessening of the feelings we identify with touch. The loss of these feelings may result in chronic pain due to the touch deficit. Chronic Pain Associated with the Touch Deficit Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than six months. According to Field (2003), â€Å"People with chronic pain become depressed due to the ineffectiveness of the drugs they are taking and the dramatic changes in lifestyle they experience. Basically, Field is saying that chronic pain can turn a person’s life upside down. Individuals with chronic pain seem to have low endorphin levels. Alternately, any related nerve deficit damage could be the reason for the consumed body supply of natural painkilling opiates and this would reduce the effectiveness of natural endorphins. Most chroni c pain disorders are unresponsive to surgical, pharmacological, or other medical interventions. The use of touch and pressure treatments (acupuncture, acupressure, massage therapy, etc. have proven to effective because they reduce anxiety levels, which tend to aggravate pain, and they also increase the productivity of necessary endorphins. We need to understand the components of pain and the psychological affects. Components and Psychological Cost of Chronic Pain Pain is the result of a chain reaction that involves all parts of the nervous system, including the brain. Pain has four components: stimulus, perception, suffering, and pain behavior. Despite intense research, chronic pain is still poorly understood by the medical community. According to Chapman (2010), â€Å"Many pain specialists believe chronic pain occurs because of a breakdown in the normal system of checks and balances that keep the nervous system functioning properly. † Chapman’s point is that there is a malfunction within the nervous system. People with chronic pain are deprived of the peace of mind that comes with knowing their pain will end. Because peace of mind is important to the healing process, chronic pain can convert a person into an invalid. Psychological damage is often incurred with chronic pain, which can alter a sufferer’s personality. Sufferers withdraw from pleasurable activities, public outings and family, leaving often depressed, bitter, anxious, or helpless. These negative thoughts and feelings help create a vicious cycle of worsening pain and unhappiness. These symptoms are the basis for chronic pain syndrome. Chapman tells us, â€Å"Although there is no cure for chronic pain syndrome, people with this condition can take steps to help close the pain gates and reduce their psychological suffering† (2010). In other words, Chapman is saying that it’s up to the individual to take responsibility for how they regain normalcy in relation to their condition. Both the disease and illness can viewed as the complex interaction of biological, psychological and social factors. Biopsychosocial Factors Disease can be defined as a biological event involving the disruption of specific body structures or organ systems caused by anatomical, pathological, or physiological changes. In contrast, illness may be a subjective experience that a disease is present. In Gatchel, Peng, Peters, Fuchs, Turk ( 2007) view, â€Å"The distinction between disease and illness is analogous to the distinction that can be made between nociception and pain. Nociception involves the stimulation of nerves that convey information about potential tissue damage to the brain. In contrast, pain is the subjective perception that results from the transduction, transmission, and modulation of sensory information (p. 582). † The psychosocial factors involve both emotion and cognition. Emotion is the more immediate reaction to nociception and is more midbrain based. Cognitions then attach meaning to the emotional experience and can then trigger additional emotional reactions and thereby amplify the experience of pain, thus perpetuating a vicious circle of nicoception, pain, distress, and disability. Acupuncture Acupunctureis a method of producing analgesia or altering the function of a system of the body by inserting fine, wire-thin needles into the skin on the body along a series of lines, or channels, called meridians. The needles are twirled or energized electrically or warmed. Acupuncture originated in the Far East and has gained increasing attention in the West since the early 1970s. Historical Foundation of Acupuncture Acupuncture is generally held to have originated in China, being first mentioned in documents dating from a few hundred years leading up to the Common Era. Sharpened stones and bones that date from about 6000 BCE have been interpreted as instruments for acupuncture treatment , but they may simply have been used as surgical instruments for drawing blood or lancing abscesses . In her book, â€Å"Is Acupuncture Right for You? †, Kidson maintains that â€Å"Documents discovered in the Ma-Wang-Dui tomb in China, which was sealed in 198 BCE, contain no reference to acupuncture as such, but do refer to a system of meridians, albeit very different from the model that was accepted later. Speculation surrounds the tattoo marks seen on the ‘Ice Man’ who died in about 3300 BCE and whose body was revealed when an Alpine glacier melted. These tattoos might indicate that a form of stimulatory treatment similar to acupuncture developed quite independently of China† (2008). The first document that unequivocally described an organized system of diagnosis and treatment which is recognized as acupuncture is The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, dating from about 100 BCE. The information is presented in the form of questions by the Emperor and learne d replies from his minister, Chi-Po. The text is likely to be a compilation of traditions handed down over centuries, presented in terms of the prevailing Taoist philosophy, and is still cited in support of particular therapeutic techniques. The concepts of channels (meridians or conduits) in which the Qi (vital energy or life force) flowed are well established by this time, though the precise anatomical locations of acupuncture points developed later. Society’s Acceptance or Rejection In exploring the topic, â€Å"Is acupuncture an effective treatment for the chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch? I found several diverse opinion’s in reference to what society thinks of acupuncture. According to Dr. Andrew Hamilton (2009, p. 22) in a magazine article he wrote entitled ‘Try telling my patients that acupuncture doesn’t work’, he is quoted as saying, â€Å"I have found acupuncture gives rapid, and often long-term relief, throug h its action of local muscle relaxation and central endorphin release. Despite the skepticism of a few, acupuncture is fast becoming an established part of conventional medicine. † In other words, Dr. Hamilton believes that acupuncture is a viable treatment for chronic pain in any area. However, in a contradictory article by Simon Singh (2008, p. 20) in a London Newspaper entitled, ‘Don’t believe the lie of the needle acupuncture is gaining credibility in medical circles’, he critiqued three trials with one using a placebo. He is quoted as saying, â€Å"Two out of three failed to show that real acupuncture offers any significant benefit beyond the fake treatment†. Singh believes that there is no significant benefit to acupuncture treatment. As with anything in today’s society there are pros and cons, differing opinions concerning acupuncture as a treatment associated with chronic pain. Here in the United States, our own Washington Post n ewspaper in an article by Ellen Edwards (2009), entitled ‘Millions Embrace Acupuncture, Despite Thin Evidence’ did an in depth study of local doctors and hospital physicians in all fields. Here article said that the American Medical Association takes no position specifically on acupuncture, saying â€Å"there is little evidence to confirm the safety and efficacy of most alternative therapies (p. 4). † Although she received this statement from the AMA, during her research she found significant evidence to personally embrace acupuncture. She was quoted as saying, â€Å"I felt it had helped other people, and it might help me. I don’t know how it works, but it’s got 4,000 years of Chinese medicine behind it (p. 4). † The essence of Edwards’ argument is with number of years used by the Chinese, there has to be some benefits from the acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture as a Treatment In reviewing the research I found when exploring this topi c there are many favorable articles for the use of acupuncture for chronic pain, specifically sensory deficit of touch. According to Clinical Psychologist White (2000), many Americans are seeking alternative therapies for any area associated with chronic pain such as acupuncture. Acupuncture systematically treats the mind as well as the body when used by professional psychologists. The â€Å"medical field has started embracing this new field of integrative medicine† (p. 671), and there have been wonderful results. Burke, Upchurch, Dye, Chyu ( 2006), conducted a survey on the use of acupuncture in the United States. Its objective was to establish that acupuncture has become an important provider-based complementary and alternative medicine treatment. The findings in relation to chronic pain were â€Å"A large number of respondents (44. 0%) indicated that they used acupuncture because conventional medicine would not help treat their health condition, supporting the role of acupuncture as an alternative medicine† (p. 645). Acupuncture has also been shown to be a beneficial approach in reducing chronic pain, and specifically the sensory deficit of touch. In a review of the literature on acupuncture and pain, Eshkevari (2003) found that: (1) acupuncture could, in fact, be viewed as a useful therapeutic modality in the management of chronic pain (p. 366), (2) acupuncture causes the release of endorphin substances (p. 367), (3) acupuncture reduces norepinephrine levels in certain brain areas and blood circulation, accompanied by a rise in pain threshold (p. 367). Basically, Eshkevari is saying that there is mounting evidence of acupunctures effectiveness. There was a study done by Sood, Sood, Bauer, Ebbert (2005), on the Cochrane systematic review of acupuncture. This study consisted of the controlled trials in acupuncture across different topic areas and journals with the common subject of chronic pain. After the review it was concluded t hat that diversity exists in the comprehensiveness of the data on acupuncture. Even though there is data to suspect its effectiveness, according to Sood, Sood, Bauer, Ebbert, â€Å"This diversity makes reviews prone to bias and adds another layer of complexity in interpreting the acupuncture literature† (p. 19). Sood, Sood, Bauer, Ebbert, are insisting that the systematic reviews are not reliable. With all of these facts mounting, the JRRD (2007) sums up many discrepancies, They state, â€Å"Although many studies have documented the efficacy of acupuncture for pain and other medical conditions, understanding how it works within a Western medical paradigm remains challenging† (p. 215). The JRRD’s point is that there is still a lack of concrete evidence that acupuncture is an effective therapeutic treatment for the chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch. Evaluation The articles that I presented and the books reviewed for the most seem to in dicate that acupuncture is an effective means of reducing or eliminating chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch. The articles and books I used seem to support and even advocate the use of acupuncture. However, there are differing perspectives in the field of psychology which I have not been able to ascertain and include in this paper. In order for me to be more conclusive there has to be more studies, articles and books to support this subject. Included in this paper were articles and studies on the prevalent use of acupuncture in Western alternative medicine. Acupuncture is being used in all areas and many medical physicians are becoming proficient in its use. It is felt that acupuncture can and should become an integral part of the health care system. Overall, I feel as if I have made some serious headway in discovering the use of acupuncture in the therapeutic treatment of the sensory deficit of touch. However, I believe there is much more to be learned abou t how it relieves chronic pain, and more specifically the pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch. Conclusion This topic of acupuncture and its effectiveness on the chronic pain of the sensory deficit touch is very close to my heart. I suffer from the deficit of touch and understand the chronic pain which is experienced. I have personally tried acupuncture to relieve the pain but it proved unsuccessful for me, as did many other treatments. From my research of the subject there is evidence that some do feel as if the use of acupuncture violates or contradicts the Christian worldview. As with most every controversial subject there are pro and con opinions. Some Christians may have an aversion to using acupuncture because of its origin. According to the John Mark Ministries as written by Croucher (2005), â€Å"There is evidence that acupuncture works for a few painful conditions and there are suggestions for a rational scientific basis such that no belief need be place d in Eastern religion. I do not believe acupuncture necessarily involves the occult at all, though as in all alternative treatments I advise caution about the therapist. † In making this comment, Croucher argues that there needs to be careful scrutiny of the practitioner. Steve Godwin (2005) writing for Watchman Fellowship, Inc. has stated, â€Å"The religious basis for traditional acupuncture should cause Christians to exercise caution when considering acupuncture treatment. The main point to remember is that we should use discernment when investigating any medical treatment, because any treatment based on a false worldview can be harmful not only physically but spiritually as well. † The before two opinions advise caution in who you allow to perform this procedure. However, a more negative opinion is offered by Let Us Reason Ministries (2009). They state, â€Å"As Christians we should not seek practitioners who offer metaphysical cures that manipulate invisible energy. The acupuncture theory is incompatible with both scientific evidence and diametrically opposed to the Christian world view of the human body and spirit. The Bible never describes energy zones or meridians in the human anatomy. † This last statement I find contrary to my personal beliefs. Using all the research books, articles, and journals, I have come to the conclusion that acupuncture provides some viability to the relief of chronic pain in all areas, and specifically the sensory deficit of touch. Although I feel that it does work, it is limited to only certain patients. Some patients have no relief from acupuncture. I speak from personal experience that it doesn’t work on all patients. Even though acupuncture treatments can conjure up mystery, there is still some usefulness as a healing presence, and this can depend on the practitioner. Giving some insight in to the healing presence, Jonas, Crawford (2004) tell us , â€Å"Religious and spiritual traditi ons from all cultures and all times describe the spiritual or loving presence of the faithful contributor of healing. In addition, the common belief that some individuals are highly effective healers, independent of whether they use a ritual, prayer, needle, pill or knife, perpetuates the common belief that a special â€Å"presence† can exude from certain practitioners. This presence is capable of inducing an experience of recovery wholeness, peace or well-being in people who suffer. Acupuncture is nothing more than a very ancient form of healing, and in healing there is God’s presence in the midst. God puts those He would have in place with the gift of healing. 1 Cor. 2:28 says, â€Å"And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues† (NIV) I tru ly believe that there is nothing contrary to God’s word in the use of acupuncture, and if we are diligent in seeking the best practitioner to administer this treatment it does not defy Christian beliefs. I am inclined to believe that this is the correct Christian worldview. Thus, I answer the question, â€Å"Is acupuncture an effective therapeutic treatment for the chronic pain associated with the sensory deficit of touch? † Yes, for some it is. I also am made aware, through the research, that great strides are being made to further the use of acupuncture as a viable tool in the everyday health care field. 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