We have all experienced some type of pain. Whether it be slicing your finger on a thin piece of paper or slamming a hammer down on your thumb. Pain can stem from many factors such as a sports injury, disease, accidents, genetics, emotional and psychological reasons. Pain can be debilitating, leaving one to struggle through their normal daily routine. Pain can even cause one to become depressed, moody, and impatient because of the limitations that pain places on them.
Acute pain is usually easier to treat than chronic pain. Such as a headache or pain from acute injury, overuse or discomfort from sleeping. Acupuncture can treat both acute and chronic pain and dysfunction effectively dependant on the nature of the condition.
Chronic pain is any type of mild or severe pain that lasts more than 6 months. This is when the body’s emergency system is in dysfunction. The indicators of pain in the nervous system stay active allowing one to be more susceptible to pain and develop sensitivity. Where there was once normal pain that could be tolerated the threshold to pain even with low-level pain can feel slightly debilitating. People with chronic pain can suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, etc.
Acupuncture and Pain relief can be used to help both acute and chronic pain. For acute pain, acupuncture increases blood flow by opening up the blocked channels, or meridians. This increases energy flow in the body to speed up the healing process. Acupuncture can also reduce recovery time by decreasing soreness and swelling as evident by the patients Dr. Tony has treated in the Ultimate Fighter Championship and the Professional Football athletes in the NFL including athletes in the NHL. At Acupuncture Zen, Dr. Tony will pinpoint the discomfort and utilize the years of experience and myriad of techniques to minimize discomfort and get you back on the road to recovery. Using hair-thin acupuncture needles to the various acupuncture points associated with the condition to help the body start relieving pain and enhancing wellness.
For chronic pain, acupuncture and pain management mechanisms act on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, stimulating the chemicals associated with those parts of the brain to reduce systemic pain. Acupuncture also acts on part of the brain that produces the “feel good” neurotransmitters, such as endorphins and dopamine, which decreases sensitivity to pain. Acupuncture also helps to release a rush of opioids, which are natural chemicals in the central nervous system that minimize pain.
From a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) viewpoint, pain happens when there is an obstruction of Qi, which is one’s life force energy. Balanced Qi throughout the body gives one the energy they need to perform daily activities and protects one against the normal wear and tear that happens to your mental and physical health. Qi flows throughout the body through pathways called meridians that are connected to major organs in the body. The thin acupuncture needles stimulate the Qi, allowing it to flow freely throughout the pathways to previously blocked areas to produce an overall wellness in your spiritual, emotional, and physical health.
In the same way that acupuncture helps the flow of Qi, it also helps with blood stagnation and nutrient depletion by stimulating the blood and nutrients within the body with the thin acupuncture needles in order to get them to flow easily again. Visit www.NeedleYou.com and see how we can get you feeling back to yourself.