Pain And Acupuncture

What is "acupuncture"?

Acupuncture is a treatment that was devised at least 5,000 years ago. Acupuncture is a treatment that has been used for many thousands of years to reduce pain and to increase optimal health.

How does acupuncture work?

By insertion of a needle into an acupuncture point, we have an increase in blood flow to the area. We also have a stimulation of the meridians that run along the acupuncture points in the body. There are some parts that we really don't know, because there are times when an acupuncture needle could be placed on a certain point, and the pain will just disappear.

Is acupuncture effective in treating chronic pain?

There are several ways that acupuncture works to reduce chronic pain. One is to work through the meridians, and increase certain energy centers in the body. As an example, if someone has chronic pain, we would want to stimulate the kidney centres in the body; kidney meridians. If someone has a specific musculoskeletal pain, let's say just a spot in the shoulder, we may want to inject just a couple of needles touching each other, and use electrostimulation to reduce inflammation in that area.

Is acupuncture safe?

Acupuncture is as safe as any needle treatment that is used in the body, which is extremely safe. It has a very low risk profile. However, the person doing the acupuncture, the practitioner, must be very well trained and be sure not to put the needles in places that can cause damage. Obviously, if a needle goes into the spinal cord, there's a problem. If a needle goes into a nerve, there's a problem. If a needle goes into a lung, there's a problem.

What are the advantages of acupuncture?

There are many wonderful facets of acupuncture. One is that it's fairly non-invasive; you don't need to take medication or surgery for it to do its job. It increases the energy level of the body. It brings the body into homeostasis and allows people to really feel better so that if they do have pain they don't experience the same level of pain.