The first thing that comes to mind when you picture acupuncture? The needles of course. The hair-thin needles carefully and strategically placed on the body is is what stands out to many people thinking of doing acupuncture. This is also the thing that deters a lot of people from getting this helpful treatment, and it is a real shame as acupuncture has the capacity to treat a huge variety of medical conditions which may not respond to conventional medicine.
Acupuncture, a linchpin in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is time-tested treatment being practiced for thousands of years long before it came to the United States. It has gained massive popularity in recent years and is now accessible to almost everyone, not only just because people are seeking alternatives for conventional treatments that have little to no side effects, but also because it simply works. As individuals such as yourselves are seeking natural approaches to healthcare, it is vital to understand how acupuncture works and its benefits.
Acupuncture 101: How It Works
Acupuncture works by stimulating the central nervous system. By stimulating the nerves and activating the body’s inherent healing abilities, acupuncture is a modality that truly combines both tradition and modern medical understanding. Due to this, licensed acupuncturists are able to cater to your specific needs in seeking treatment for virtually any condition. So many of us are all so used to the conventional medical way of thinking, but our bodies have an innate healing mechanism, and acupuncture allows us to tap into that for optimal healing and health.
Acupuncture works by:
- Stimulating the nerves – inserting the acupuncture needles into specific points, they stimulate the nerves within the muscles which allow for the release of various neurotransmitters and hormones causing a positive effect on mood and emotions as well as pain.
- Encourage Circulation – promoting circulation will allow those areas of the body to receive the blood flow they need for optimal healing.
- Releasing Endorphins – when the acupoints are stimulated, they trigger the release of endorphins which are the body’s natural pain killers. Additionally, these hormones aid in stress relief.
- Anti-inflammatory – acupuncture treatment has also been shown to impact the body’s immune system lending way to anti-inflammatory properties.
- Promoting Relaxation – acupuncture treatment innately lowers the body’s stress or “fight or flight” response, helping to decrease feelings of anxiety.
- Being a Comprehensive Treatment – acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine see the body as a whole with emotional and physical wellness being intertwined. Acupuncture treatment will consider cause of the issue rather than just the symptoms making for comprehensive health enhancement.
Acupuncture treatment can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, and even some conditions that may not have a treatment option in conventional medicine. Aside from the multitude of benefits that acupuncture has to offer, there are also little to no side effects unlike in conventional medications.
10 Benefits of Acupuncture
Even though acupuncture is most well-known for relieving pain, it has been shown time and time again through research that it can effectively treat a variety of diseases utilizing the body’s own healing mechanisms. Here are the top 10 reasons acupuncture is beneficial for all, and you should give it a try.
- Mood Improvement & Decreased Stress
- Acupuncture decreases stress and elevates your mood by balancing out the energy flow in the body causing relaxation and emotional health. It will open up the areas of the body which hold stress.
- Acupuncture decreases stress and elevates your mood by balancing out the energy flow in the body causing relaxation and emotional health. It will open up the areas of the body which hold stress.
- Pain Relief
- This is something that many people are quite familiar with in today’s world. Acupuncture helps with a multitude of aches and pains whether they are acute or chronic throughout the body
- This is something that many people are quite familiar with in today’s world. Acupuncture helps with a multitude of aches and pains whether they are acute or chronic throughout the body
- Improved Sleep
- Acupuncture treatment helps the body to create the hormone melatonin which helps you fall and stay asleep.
- Acupuncture treatment helps the body to create the hormone melatonin which helps you fall and stay asleep.
- Increased Energy
- Acupuncture improves cognitive function and mental clarity therefore increasing energy significantly.
- Acupuncture improves cognitive function and mental clarity therefore increasing energy significantly.
- Improved Digestive Health
- Acupuncture helps with regulating and restoring digestive function which in Chinese medicine is the basis for good health.
- Acupuncture helps with regulating and restoring digestive function which in Chinese medicine is the basis for good health.
- Regulates Blood Pressure
- Acupuncture regulates blood pressure which improves cardiovascular health.
- Acupuncture regulates blood pressure which improves cardiovascular health.
- Enhanced Immune System
- Acupuncture exerts anti-inflammatory effects making for a better functioning immune system, and through acupoint stimulation, will trigger the immune response of healing. This makes a big difference in treating something like the cold or flu, or seasonal allergies.
- Acupuncture exerts anti-inflammatory effects making for a better functioning immune system, and through acupoint stimulation, will trigger the immune response of healing. This makes a big difference in treating something like the cold or flu, or seasonal allergies.
- Encourage Fertility
- Acupuncture treatment improves blood flow to the reproductive organs which will create an optimal environment for conception.
- Acupuncture treatment improves blood flow to the reproductive organs which will create an optimal environment for conception.
- Improved Cognitive Function & Help with Neurological Conditions
- Acupuncture helps with issues of memory loss and low concentration. It can also help in decreasing symptoms of issues like Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and migraines.
- Acupuncture helps with issues of memory loss and low concentration. It can also help in decreasing symptoms of issues like Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and migraines.
- Improved Mental Health
- Acupuncture aids in the energy flow through the body relieving tension causing stress, and increasing mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin.
These are just some of many benefits and conditions that acupuncture treatment can make a difference for, and is beneficial as both a standalone treatment or in conjunction with conventional medicine. However, by giving acupuncture treatment a try, it allows us to fully come to terms with the fact that there are some limitations in our current medical model while also letting ourselves survey the full range of healing.
While acupuncture is rooted in thousands of years of efficacy, its merging with modern conventional medicine has become a new, updated, cutting-edge treatment with a multitude of healing options. As research on the benefits of acupuncture carries on, an increasing global body of both doctors and patients are seeing and experiencing its extraordinary effects.