🌿 Folk Prescriptions

The effectiveness of acupuncture in treating stroke is well-established, yet many people remain unclear about when stroke patients should begin acupuncture treatment. Traditionally, acupuncture is believed to be effective mainly during the post-stroke sequelae phase, and some scholars still oppose acupuncture during the acute phase of hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease. Consequently, in many regions of China, stroke patients are first treated by neurology departments, then transferred to traditional Chinese medicine hospitals or specialized clinics for acupuncture—often missing the crucial early window for acupuncture intervention to promote recovery.
Modern medicine holds that most stroke patients’ motor function recovery is a natural process. Numerous clinical and experimental studies confirm that acupuncture protects neurons after cerebral ischemia, reduces brain edema, and decreases infarct volume. Acupuncture inhibits apoptosis of ischemic neurons and enhances synthesis or release of endogenous neurotrophic factors in the brain after ischemia. Early acupuncture intervention significantly improves daily living abilities, markedly enhances motor and cognitive functions in stroke patients. Prompt acupuncture treatment can halt disease progression, enhance the nervous system’s self-repair and compensatory capacity, accelerate natural recovery, shorten the course of illness, lay a solid foundation for functional restoration, reduce disability rates, and improve quality of life, helping patients return to family and society. Therefore, as long as vital signs are stable, consciousness is clear, and the condition is stable, early acupuncture treatment can begin. For cerebral infarction patients, acupuncture can start 48 hours after onset; for cerebral hemorrhage patients, it can begin one week after onset.