Treating chronic pain using acupuncture and Chinese medicine involves addressing both the physical symptoms and rewiring your brain’s response to pain signals.
It’s like repairing roads and rerouting traffic to restore smooth communication within your body. The outcome we’re seeking in using acupuncture for chronic pain can be summed up in simple terms, calm things down (aim to reduce pain levels), build confidence in movement (with less pain), move more (to rebuild confidence, strength and conditioning).
Acupuncture & Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to assist with pain and promote healing. The ancient Chinese observed that by stimulating specific points on the body using acupuncture or acupressure this could help restore balance to the body’s energy flow, known as Qi.
These days, acupuncture for chronic pain taps into the fascinating realm of neuroscience, shedding light on how this ancient healing practice may alleviate discomfort.
When tiny acupuncture needles are inserted at specific points on your body, they stimulate nerves under your skin and in your muscles. This stimulation triggers your body to release its natural painkillers, like endorphins, along with mood-boosting chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.
Studies reveal acupuncture doesn’t just stop there. It also chats with your brain, influencing areas that handle pain, emotions, and thoughts. Modern day brain scans have shown that acupuncture can shake things up in these brain regions, helping to dial down pain signals and potentially bring relief.
At the local level, too acupuncture has been shown to boost blood flow., calms down inflammation, both of which are implicated in the development and persistence of chronic pain and gets your body’s healing mechanisms pumping as it aims to resolve pain.
This means that acupuncture is not just masking the pain but helping your body to heal itself.
In a nutshell, acupuncture isn’t just sticking needles in randomly; it’s tapping into your body’s own pain-fighting pharmacy and healing superpowers to help you feel better.