Are you looking for alternative ways to improve your health? If yes, you should definitely consider acupuncture. If you didn’t already know, acupuncture is an old Chinese technique believed to work wonders for pain relief.
Scroll down to learn more about acupuncture, acupuncture benefits, and if getting an acupuncture treatment is really worth it.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient practice—it has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for relieving pain, curing diseases, and improving overall health. Acupuncture has been proven to relieve a wide range of medical conditions and restore health and vitality by re-establishing balance within the body. It also enhances the body’s healthy energy flow and removes blockages that might lead to physical and emotional problems.
Ancient TCM specialists have come up with four essential TCM diagnostic methods, including inspection, auscultation and olfaction (listening and smelling), interrogation, and palpation, in order to examine human pathological conditions in practice. Each of these methods requires considerable skills as well as time in order to understand the relationship between symptoms and various diseases.
But how does acupuncture work, exactly? Acupuncture is a technique that usually includes inserting thin needles into your skin at specific spots on your body. However, there is also the option of needleless acupuncture for those who don’t like needles. Our on-site clinic provides acupuncture treatment plans tailored to each patient’s unique needs. As such, we offer a variety of acupuncture treatment methods, including:
- Traditional Needle Acupuncture
- Electric Stimulation & Microcurrent
- Needleless Acupuncture / Tui Na
- Community Acupuncture
- Cupping & Gua Sha
- Korean Hand Therapy / Reflexology
- Moxibustion
14 Amazing Benefits of Acupuncture
Acupuncture points are an essential feature of acupuncture through which the energy is believed to flow through. These points are reported to activate the central nervous system. As a result, chemicals are released into the muscles, brain, and spinal cord. These changes may increase the body’s healing process and improve physical and emotional well-being.
Acupuncture points are situated throughout the body, and sometimes the appropriate spots are located far away from the source of your pain. Needles are used to manipulate those spots in order to treat many health conditions effectively.
Acupuncture’s primary long-term benefits include pain reduction, improved mental health, enhanced sleep quality, relief from allergies, and more. Read on to learn more about specific acupuncture benefits.
Relief from chronic pain
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), several studies indicate that acupuncture works particularly effectively for chronic pain, such as back and neck pain, osteoarthritis/knee pain, and headaches. It lessens the frequency and intensity of tension headaches and may help to avoid migraines.
Reduced back pain
Back pain is a frequent chronic pain condition. If you’ve ever thought about trying acupuncture for chronic back pain, here’s some good news: Studies have shown that acupuncture can actually reduce back pain. Researchers discovered that acupuncture was more effective than standard therapy in helping individuals with chronic back pain feel less troubled by their symptoms and perform better in their daily activities.
Acupuncture is indeed an effective and safe way to help relieve your back pain when a trained and licensed acupuncturist administers the treatment.
Headache prevention and relief
There is evidence that acupuncture lowers the frequency of headaches in patients with migraine and that the impact may be equivalent to that seen with preventive medicines. According to a study, patients getting acupuncture have had over 50% reduction in headache frequency, an effect lasting for more than six months.
Improved eye health
An eye problem or disease might be a sign of inner imbalances. Your eyes may appear lifeless and dull as a result. Acupuncture can treat any imbalance in the energy flow that could be causing these symptoms. The goal of eye-acupuncture, in particular, is to increase the flow of Qi, or life energy, around both eyes.
Reduced stress
There are several reasons for mood swings and stress. Whether it’s chronic stress, everyday worries, or hormonal imbalances, acupuncture can provide considerable stress relief. Acupuncture needles stimulate your central nervous system, causing it to release endorphins and other chemicals that improve your mood. This will result in reduced stress and a more optimistic attitude.
Better sleep
Are you tired of staying up all night staring at the ceiling, unable to doze off no matter how exhausted you are? Acupuncture can help by stimulating your body’s natural production of melatonin. This hormone controls your sleep cycles, but unfortunately, it’s frequently underproduced due to our modern, on-the-go lives—leading to insomnia and sleep deprivation.
Less digestive problems
Chronic stress, an unbalanced diet, lack of sleep, and other lifestyle factors are frequently the underlying causes of many digestive problems.
Decreased digestive function is one of the negative consequences of an overactive nervous system. Acupuncture helps improve digestion by regulating the gut-brain axis (GBA), the nervous system, and stress levels. Moreover, acupuncture also aids in reducing discomfort and inflammation.
Improved mental clarity
Whether you need a physical or mental energy boost to overcome exhaustion or brain fog, acupuncture can help. Stimulating the proper brain pathways leads to enhanced physical stamina and the ability to think clearly and productively. Consequently, one may feel at peace, sleep better and have better mental clarity.
Relief from allergies
Acupuncture promotes the body’s natural immunity and ability to heal itself, which is one of its primary concepts. As a result, allergens are less likely to cause chaos, particularly during allergy season. Regular acupuncture sessions can effectively treat allergy problems such as a runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat, and continuous sneezing.
Improved healing after surgery or treatment
Acupuncture can help with postoperative pain relief. You can move around and get back to normality faster when you’re in less pain. Furthermore, fewer pain drugs are required, many of which can induce nausea, vomiting, and itching. Other benefits also include inner and outer scar reduction.
Relief from menstrual pain
Studies show that acupuncture, especially moxibustion can be an effective and safe treatment for menstrual pain when applied correctly. Women who received acupuncture regularly noticed more significant changes in menstrual pain intensity, associated symptoms, and overall quality of life.
Addiction
Acupuncture has been proven since 1972 to help with addiction. Research shows that manipulating acupuncture points can help curb your cravings for nicotine or alcohol. That is made possible by lowering cortisol and balancing dopamine levels. Adequate acupuncture treatments may help smokers quit or reduce smoking habits; the effect can last at least five years.
Fertility
Acupuncture is a scientifically proven treatment for recovering fertility in patients—men and women. Acupuncture can enhance sperm quality, ovaries function, and hormone and endocrine system balance, thus improving fertility.
Weight loss
Body imbalance can cause weight gain. Luckily, proper acupuncture treatment can help regain body balance by targeting the body areas that cause the malfunction, resulting in weight loss. The right treatments can help regulate hormone production, improve metabolism, optimize digestion, reduce inflammation, suppress the appetite, lessen water retention, and optimize other bodily functions related to obesity.
The Bottom Line: Is Acupuncture Worth It?
If it is your first time undergoing an acupuncture treatment, questioning its efficacy is a realistic stance. However, the results have been available for quite some time now, and the studies have established its worth. According to research, acupuncture can be effective, and whether alone or in conjunction with other treatment approaches, it shows a high success rate.
More frequently than not, acupuncture sessions result in several favorable, health-promoting outcomes. So, we suggest you give acupuncture a try and see for yourself. You can click here to book your acupuncture appointment at our on-site clinic. But before you do, please seek medical advice first. We recommend you discuss with your healthcare provider whether or not acupuncture is a suitable treatment for you.
Interested in pursuing a career in acupuncture? You can earn your Master of Acupuncture Degree (MAc) at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM)—our acupuncture program is one of the most respected and least expensive in the country—click here to learn more!