How Can Acupuncture Help My Pain?
Photo By: Skylar Arias
Most people nowadays have at least heard of acupuncture before. You’ll hear different stories about it - some of them go like this: “They used 3 needles on me and fixed my pain, gone forever in one treatment!” or something like “Eh, it didn’t really do much. I don’t know why they put needles in my foot when I had pain in my neck. Only tried it once and I’m not going back.”
So what’s the deal!? Why do we hear of so many different kinds of experiences with acupuncture? Let’s talk about it!
First of all, what is acupuncture? Simply put, it is the process of inserting a sterile, stainless steel, filiform needle into specific areas of the body. It is nothing like the type of needles used to draw blood at a doctor’s office or the types of needles used for vaccinations. Acupuncture needles are usually as thin as a strand of hair and most of the time are painless!
The way acupuncture works can be explained in a few different ways so I will first explain it through the lens of Chinese medicine. The body is one whole organism that communicates with itself and maintains visceral (physiological) and emotional (psychological) health via channel pathways. Think of your body as a garden with irrigation lines as a water source. The channels work like those irrigation lines, in which water flows to nourish the entire garden. But if one line gets damaged and can’t properly water a part of the garden, things will start to dry out in that area and problems will ensue.
A lot of the channels in the body connect with each other, forming a large, beautifully complex being. When all is well and healthy, the channels flow with ease, full of qi and blood. However, many things can affect channel flow, like emotional turmoil, overworking, irregular dietary habits, and exterior pathogens. When channels get blocked, things can get stagnated in there and sometimes manifest as physical pain.
Acupuncture works by accessing these channels with needles and directing qi flow in the way it is intended to go with the use of acupuncture points. Acupuncture points are numerous, and each one has its own unique function! Your acupuncturist will choose points for you based on how you present to them symptomatically and based on your overall pattern of health. Every person’s state of health is unique, so each person gets a unique blend of points.
If you want an explanation that uses biomedical language, this is for you: acupuncture works by stimulating mechanoreceptors which send signals to your spinal cord and your brain, triggering different kinds of responses. Some of those responses include reducing nociceptive receptors that cause pain, increasing the production of opioid-like substances and endorphins within your body to reduce pain and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, inhibiting the release of inflammatory cells, and allowing for perfusion of blood and oxygen to the intended area.
So those needles get your body to do a lot of work to get you out of pain and into feeling better and more relaxed. Your acupuncturist is like a middle-man or woman between the pain you are experiencing and the work required to get your body out of that discomfort that you can’t do on your own. Sometimes though lifestyle changes are necessary too. For example, pain management can include working with a personal trainer or physical therapist to help you find the correct movements, exercises, and/or stretches that can help decrease the pain you may be experiencing. Remaining consistent with a movement routine can do wonders. Other aspects of your health that you can take into your own hands include modifying your diet to include more whole food meals, and less ultra-processed foods, or going on YouTube and looking for guided meditations to get your mind a little more at ease.
Wellness and feeling good inside yourself isn’t something passive, and a good acupuncturist won’t make you feel like they can fix all your problems with their needles and other fancy tools. Most of that power is within you; it’s your body’s instinct to heal. But we acupuncturists are delighted to be able to contribute to your journey of health with the powers of our mighty needles! Interested in experiencing acupuncture for yourself? Book a consultation today and let’s work together to bring balance and healing to your body!
