Acupuncture and Pain Relief
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that balances the flow of energy through a person’s body. Chinese medicinal practitioners call this energy chi, but Western practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates nerves, muscles, and connective tissue. Whether acupuncture is balancing energy or stimulating nerves, it has many benefits for treating pain relief. Let’s talk about them.
1. It releases endorphins. First, and most obvious, acupuncture releases endorphins. Endorphins are your body’s natural painkillers, and the act of putting fine needles into specific acupoints can help release them. It is also thought that acupuncture affects the part of the brain that covers serotonin, which is a chemical involved in regulating mood.
2. It can help reduce stress. Next, stress and anxiety are two key components that exacerbate pain. Even if you’re not in that much physical pain, being stressed or anxious can make that pain feel so much worse. Acupuncture has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety by balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Studies show that the benefits of acupuncture on stress and anxiety can last for several months even after the acupuncture course is completed.
3. It reduces inflammation. Finally, acupuncture is said to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is tied to pain and stress, so naturally increasing endorphins and balancing the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system has a positive effect on inflammation. Additionally, acupuncture may reduce inflammation by affecting the antihistamine process that happens in allergic reactions and autoimmune conditions.
Pain can be a complicated thing to treat in patients for many reasons. First, it is hard to decipher how much pain a patient is in, and second, there is a cap on how much pain medication can be administered. For chronic pain, acupuncture may be an integral part of a pain management strategy. If you are living with chronic or acute pain and are interested in what acupuncture can do for you, you should contact New Vibes Health and Acupuncture today.
Interested in how acupuncture can take you to the next level? Schedule a free consultation to see how you can outperform your competition.