Acupuncture and Pain
Many people address pain in the body by taking medication. Medication can certainly be helpful as a short term solution, by making pain more bearable. However, medication tends to only dull the symptoms, and generally fails to address the root of the problem. By experiencing pain, the body is sending a signal that something is wrong. If the root of the problem is not addressed the pain will tend to worsen over time. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, pain occurs when Qi and blood are blocked from flowing to a specific area. This blockage prevents the area from being properly nourished.
By inserting very fine needles into specific points, acupuncture removes these blockages, enabling Qi and blood to return to the area. This also maximizes the movement of the body's natural defenses to the injured area and in doing so, acupuncture not only relieves pain but also allows the body to heal.
Acupuncture addresses pain by:
- reducing inflammation
- stimulating the immune system
- effecitively blocking pain signals to the brain
- altering the chemicals that are being secreted in the central nervous system
- improving blood circulation
- stimulating the release of natural hormones that help the body to respond to injury
- releasing natural endorphins that respond to pain