Pain & Acupuncture

Pain & Acupuncture -

Don't Suffer Any Longer!

Back, Neck, Knee & Shoulder Pain are, by far, the most common conditions treated with acupuncture.  However, acupuncture effectively treats a wide variety of acute & chronic pain including, but not limited to:

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Arthritic Pain (Osteo & Rheumatoid)
  • Athletic Injuries (e.g. Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow, Shoulder, Knee & Ankle Pain etc)
  • Auto Accident Related Pain (e.g. Neck & Back Pain)
  • Back Pain (including Sciatica Pain)
  • Hand Pain
  • Headache Pain
  • Inflammatory Pain (basically anything ending in -itis)
  • Joint & Muscle Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Labor Pain
  • Menstrual & PMS Pain
  • Neck Pain
  • Nerve Pain
  • Post-operative Pain
  • Sciatic Pain
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Stress-induced Pain (e.g. Neck, Back & Shoulder, Digestive Pain)
  • Wrist Pain (including Carpal Tunnel Pain)
From the 2017 VA Acute Pain Provider Guide recommending Acupuncture as a Step 1 treatment for acute pain.

From the 2017 VA Acute Pain Provider Guide recommending Acupuncture as a Step 1 treatment for acute pain.

For more info click on the headings below.

+ Acupuncture vs. Pain Medications

Clinical studies have shown that acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of chronic pain is comparable with that of MORPHINE! Without the yucky side effects! This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) stated:

"Acupuncture can be regarded as the method of choice for treating many chronically painful conditions"

And when it comes to cancer pain, an analysis of studies comparing acupuncture with some heavy duty painkillers such as codeine & demerol concluded the following:

"For cancer pain, acupuncture provided an immediate analgesic effect similar to that of codeine and [Demerol], with a marked effect after use for two months."

In light of the opioid addiction epidemic being declared a national health emergency, it's important to note that acupuncture is an incredibly effective and inherently safer alternative to pain medications.

+ What Does Western Medicine Think About Acupuncture?

Skeptics may be interested to know that the World Health Organization recognized acupuncture for its ebility to relieve pain over 20 years ago! Since then, the acceptance of acupuncture by mainstream western medicine has been steadily increasing and is even used by the U.S. Military.

In February 2017, The American College Of Physicians gave acupuncture a "strong recommendation." They also released revised guidelines for treating back pain where, you guessed it, they recommended getting acupuncture before drugs or surgery due to acupuncture's

  • Effectiveness
  • Lack of side effects &
  • Non-addictive qualities

+ Pain-Relieving Physiological Effects of Acupuncture

Every week, we see folks who are amazed by the pain-relieving powers of acupuncture and they often want to know how it works. Physiologically, studies have shown that acupuncture helps to relieve pain by:

  1. Regulating the central nervous system & inducing the release the body's own natural painkillers & neurotransmitters (e.g. endorphins, dopamine, serotonin) without the side-effects and risk of addiction associated with painkiller medications.
  2. Reducing inflammation and swelling at nerve endings resulting in a reduction of pain signals sent to the brain. This is especially important for the treatment of '-itis' conditions such as athritis, gastritis, bursitis, tendonitis etc. For more info on how acupuncture reduces inflammation click here.
  3. Switching our autonomic nervous system from the 'pedal to the metal' state to a 'rest and digest' state which reduces muscle tension that may be impinging on the nerves & sending pain signals to the brain.