Acupuncture & TCM Articles

Acupuncture And Pain Relief: The Way Forward?
   
How adept is the human frame at coping with pain? Pain is a natural function of the body and though we may not like pain the normal process of our physiology is to let us know that something is not quite right.

Just visit any ward of chronically sick patients and you will soon attune to the moans and cries of the human condition. These poor people are quite simply in communication with their own systems. Chronic pain of the muscles or skeleton is the highest form of priority communication, warning us of dangers - seen and unseen.

Yet much of modern medicine is unable to help us with the bodies communication system - the nervous system - as it delivers vital messages to our psyche: and that is what pain is.

There is another way however, an ancient and mysterious way, a way that is often veiled and hidden; and that is the way of alternative therapies. Many of these ancient forms of pain relief have stood the test of time and some such as acupuncture have also stood against the intrigue of modern, scientific examination.

Acupuncture for pain relief has been around for many thousands of years and it is an extremely efficient and effective way of dealing with aches and pains. It has proved to be especially effective when dealing with pain in the back. A great deal of this type of pains due to muscle contraction and acupuncture shows itself as able to deal with this kind of pain.

How does Acupuncture and Pain Relief Work Anyway?

In simplistic terms acupuncture deals with the flow of natural energies around the body. In olden times this energy force was referred to as "chi" or "Gi." They discovered that natural human energy would flow through the body along pathways, which they referred to as meridians. Now when this natural energy flow is interrupted pain is relieved, reduced or simply stopped altogether. A healing of the body often precedes the interruption of the meridians. Of course we find that much of modern medicine is dismissive of the claims of alternative therapies such as acupuncture for pain relief. However, don't let that opinion put you off in the least.

When you apply acupuncture for pain relief you are in essence righting the flow of painful energies that are pulsing through your body.

There are many benefits to acupuncture and pain relief is just one of them. It is also highly effective when used in conjunction with other forms of pain relief treatments. Acupuncture for pain relief is also safe and relatively non-invasive as the needles used for acupuncture are only designed to sit in the skin and sometimes reaching the layer of body fat, occasionally the muscles are also reached. The needles used are always fresh, hygienic and sterile when dealing with acupuncture and pain relief. In addition the needles are disposable and FDA approved when applied by a reputable acupuncturist. These needles are so fine that they can be compared to human hair in thickness.

Often you will find that upwards of 20 needles may be used for acupuncture and pain relief and mostly several treatment sessions will be required. Once the needles are inserted they may be left there for up to thirty minutes, sometimes being twisted by the hands of the skilled acupuncture expert.

The amazing thing about acupuncture and pain is that the acupuncture needles themselves cause no painful sensations. This is quite surprising for many patients ho are expecting a degree of pain due to the insertion of the needles into the skin. On the contrary, and quite often, patients will feel a deep sense of relaxation during the procedure and some will even fall of into a quite relaxing sleep.

During acupuncture for pain relief the natural pain relieving, electromagnetic signals being relayed by the bodies system are speeded up and the pathways improved.

Acupuncture for pain relief has also been successfully used for fibromyalgia, chronic headaches and pain in the neck as a result of whiplash; painful conditions of the hip and knee caused by arthritis are also good candidates for acupuncture and pain relief. For many people with chronic abdominal pain and asthma, acupuncture has been their salvation and finally but not in the least is pain caused by shingles, for which sufferers will also find relief from niggling pains.