One in three Western households has one or more members with a chronic pain condition that usually has been present
for more than three years and is often described as being distressing, severe or unbearable.
According to Chinese medicine more
than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body connect
with 12 main and 8 additional (extra) "meridians"
or channels. Pain and disease are the result of these
channels becoming blocked. Health Energy can be restored
by placing needles at acupoints of one or more meridians.
Acupuncture needles which are used only once and
discarded are solid (not hollow, as are hypodermic
or vaccination needles) and are slightly bigger than
the width of human hair. Although the patients can
feel the needle pierce the skin there is no pain.
The puncture site is usually swabbed with a disinfectant
beforehand. When the needle locates the trigger point,
there may be a "grabbing" sensation, followed
by a relaxed, heavy feeling and overall body warmth.
Some patients even fall asleep during treatment.
The results of acute pain management with Acupuncture are often very satisfying to the patient in terms of pain relief, decrease of
swelling, and return to function. Side effects of drugs can be reduced or eliminated, and some people can decrease their drug intake
significantly.
Acupuncture works because of its interaction with the afferent nociceptive (pain) and proprioceptive (muscle length and position) sensory
and other nerves of the body that provoke local, spinal and centrally mediated control.
In 1980, the World Health Organization released a report indicating that acupuncture is useful in treating 43 types of ailments. The list includes pain management for:
Toothache, sore throat, gastritis, acid reflux, ulcer, colitis, headache, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia (rib pain),
tennis elbow, sciatica, low back pain, and osteoarthritis, Post-operative dental pain, menstrual cramps, and fibromyalgia.
There are many styles of acupuncture. Master Dong acupuncture, which produces quick and effective pain relief, and
orthopedic motor point acupuncture (to reset the muscle's resting tone and eliminate trigger points). E-stim
(a minimal and comfortable amount of electrical stimulation) can also be applied through needles once they are inserted.
Chinese herbs are also used to relieve pain. If your pain is systemic in nature, in multiple locations, long-term or stubborn, Acupuncture
in conjunction with Chinese herbs is recommended for pain management. There are formulas to heal pain and injuries, reduce inflammation and
swelling, and speed healing. Other therapies used for pain management are
Cupping (vacuum-like pressure with cups to move stagnant fluids and blood in the muscles),
Gwa sha (the same, but without the vacuum pressure), and
Tui na (Chinese medical massage).
