Want to explore the world of acupuncture for pain relief? Here are a few things you’ll need to know before you decide:
Introduction
This is a form of pain treatment from China. With over thousands of years of practice, it’s one of the most enduring medical practices today. It was in the second half of the 20th century when it began to be known throughout the Western world as a possible pain relief treatment.
Alternative to Modern Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine believes this treatment is one way to fix the imbalance of a body’s energy flow. This is because, in traditional Chinese medicine, the human body is composed of 350 acupuncture points which serve as pathways or meridians through which energy flows. Life itself is made out of two opposing forces, the yin and yang. So any illness is taken to be the result of an imbalance in the energy that flows in the body. The needles are then used to correct the condition by restoring the original balance.
These days, though, it’s a thriving medical treatment, regarded as a welcome alternative to modern medicine. This is because it focuses on healing the person as a whole, as opposed to regarding patients only as a set of symptoms to be matched with the right treatment or medicine.
How It’s Done
Patients are often told to lie down and depending on the affected areas, would either find themselves on their side, back or face down. Then the needles are inserted into specific points in the body—in varying depths—to stimulate nerve, muscle and blood flow. When the tip of the needle reaches the right depth, patients often feel a muted sense of pain or, in some cases, ache. Needles are heated too to help stimulate the nerves. Sessions usually take up 30 minutes—while the needles stay for about 20 minutes once inserted. Patients also usually go for 12 sessions.
Benefits of Acupuncture
So long as it’s done right, this treatment is completely safe and offers therapeutic benefits to patients. Among these are:
- An alternative to patients who don’t wish to take pain medication to alleviate and ease their pain
- An alternative to conventional medicine, acupuncture advocates the idea that the body is self-healing
- Non-invasive way to treat pain. Since it doesn’t advocate the use of invasive procedures, the body is given time to rest and heal on its own
- Effectively treats nausea that’s often a result of invasive cancer treatments like chemotheraphy
These are just some of the benefits that this treatment brings. If you’re interested in the treatment, call us up for an appointment at the Johnston Heath Center. We’ll help you find the ideal pain relief program for your condition.
Want acupuncture for pain relief? Book an appointment with us at Johnston Health Center and we’ll get you started on that treatment program. You can also connect with them on Facebook.
