Why Adopt Acupuncture for Pain Relief?
There’s evidence to prove that acupuncture, the age old Chinese treatment that’s supposed to provide relief from pain and cure diseases, really does reduce pain. The Western world has long been skeptical of acupuncturists’ claims to be able to reduce pain significantly with the skillful use of needles. But two studies, one conducted at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and the other at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, have shown evidence that acupuncture does indeed work as a form of pain relief. The studies also found that some forms of acupuncture are better than others.
Acupuncture is a 2500-year-old Chinese practice that believes that pain is a result of energy being blocked in channels or meridians in the human body. There are 2000 acupuncture points that lie on these meridians, 12 main and 8 secondary. When needles are placed at the ends of the channels, healthy energy or chi is released and the pain subsides.
The best thing about acupuncture as a mechanism for pain relief is that:
- It has no side effects like morphine or other painkillers.
- It is recommended by most traditional doctors as the best form of alternative pain relief therapy.
- Around 50 percent of doctors believe that acupuncture is a viable form of pain management and control.
- It works by releasing the body’s natural pain killers like endorphins and opiods.
- It boosts the working of immune system cells
- It induces neurotransmitters and neurohormones in the brain, thus inducing a feel-good sensation.
- The level of chemicals in the blood stream increase after a session of acupuncture.
- Electromagnetic signals are relayed at a faster rate than normal after acupuncture and this increases the flow of endorphins to the affected areas.
- The reason why acupuncture works is because pain is at the heart of any disease, and by killing the pain, we enhance the healing process.
Other forms of acupuncture work as well, if not better than the traditional method – electroacupuncture, where very small amounts of current are delivered through the needle, seems to work better than regular acupuncture as a method to relieve pain.
The success or failure of acupuncture depends on the skill of your acupuncturist and the kind of acupuncture that you choose to have. So make sure you go to someone who knows what they’re doing or who can recommend someone who does.
