You’ve probably heard about acupuncture – a form of treatment that involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. Acupuncture is used to treat pain as well as a whole host of other conditions.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a treatment that comes from Chinese medicine. In fact, the earliest recorded use of the technique dates back to 200 BC! Chinese medicine centers around pathways of energy that flow through the body, with each pathway corresponding to either a singular organ or a group of organs that “oversees” certain bodily functions. It is thought that an imbalance – or even a blockage – of energy along a pathway can cause disease. To relieve this imbalance, thin needles are inserted at acupuncture points – these are the places where the energy pathway is extremely close to the skin’s surface. Acupuncture possesses the ability to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue and can help boost your body’s natural painkillers as well as increase blood flow.
What Types of Illnesses is Acupuncture Used to Treat?
The answer to this often times shocks a lot of people.
Why? Because the answer is: A LOT!
For instance, acupuncture is particularly effective for pain relief and for both nausea and vomiting following surgery or chemotherapy. Both the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health recognize acupuncture as a helpful part of treatment plans for a variety of conditions and illnesses. This includes: addiction (such as alcoholism), asthma, bronchitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches, irregular menstrual cycles, polycystic ovarian syndrome, low back pain, menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps, osteoarthritis, sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome, tendinitis, tennis elbow, and urinary problems such as incontinence. Plus, acupuncture can safely be combined with prescription drugs and other conventional treatments – with that said, it’s important for your primary care physician to be aware of your acupuncture treatments so that your recovery can be monitored by all involved.
If you or a loved one is struggling with pain, an injury, or an illness, please know that acupuncture may be exactly what you’ve been looking for! So, if acupuncture is something you’re interested in learning more about, give us a call. At your initial evaluation we’ll discuss all available treatment plans, as well as what we feel would suit you best. Here at Fletcher Chiropractic we take the time to get to know each and every one of our patients and strive to create unique, individualized treatment plans for everyone who walks through our doors.
source: umm.edu; nih.gov