Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese alternative form of medicine. Despite being a pseudoscience concept, it is prevalent in most countries with widespread usage in the US. Acupuncture benefits for health and wellness are far more than any other form of alternative medicine. Acupuncture has the legacy of the oldest form of medicinal practice in human history. Conventionally acupuncture mediated the stalled bodily functions, actuated proper functioning of vital organs, helped in warming up the body, providing immunity from pathogens and transforming bodily fluids into usable energy.
But in recent times there are ample health benefits attributed to Acupuncture. Some of these are; providing relief from chronic pain, arthritis, anxiety, insomnia, asthma, epilepsy, tennis elbow, depression, migraine, nausea, obesity, pain from surgeries. Acupuncture is more for a part of our wellness and lifestyle improvement methods. The health benefits are so immensely focused on those chronic disorders which hamper our routine work and no other medicine works well on them.
Methods And Beliefs of Acupuncturists:
1- Acupuncturists believe that an energy flows within and around our body which is called “Chi” The pathways on which Chi flows are called meridians. And when something blocks or unbalances our Chi, illness occurs. Acupuncture is the only way which will unblock and influence the Chi and help it return to its meridian.
2- Acupuncture is done by penetrating the skin with small needles at specific points on our body. This stimulates certain nerve endings of our body and help in relief from many ailments. Also, it is believed that inserting needles will influence the energy flow or Chi, the point at which needles are inserted, are those where Chi is believed to be blocked. Sometimes heat, pressure or mild electrical currents are also applied to influence it further.
3- There are several needles penetrating at the same given area, based on the diagnosis of acupuncturists. Some needles would be inserted deeper than the rest to restore your Chi. They remain inserted for 10-15 minutes. And usually the entire treatment lasts 45-60 minutes.
4- A slight pressure or itch is felt and it is mostly a painless treatment. The acupuncturist may roll back and forth the pierced needles to reach the exact points. If there is a slight sore or numbness, the providers believe Chi has been accessed.
5- Acupuncture is known for considerable relief but it may be used in conjunction with other forms of treatment. The American Society of Anesthesiologists states Acupuncture may be considered in treatment for nonspecific, noninflammatory low back pain in addition to conventional therapy. Read more details on Acupuncture.
Acupuncture Benefits for Health and Wellness:
1. Acupuncture reduces headaches and migraines:
For patients suffering from frequent chronic tension type headaches, acupuncture is a valuable non-pharmacological tool. It is known to have both decrease in the episodes of headaches and also reduce the pain intensity of every headache.
2. Neck pain:
Neck pain is one of the most highly verified and proven condition for which acupuncture is effective. It is known to be reliable, painless and free from side effects, helping to relieve the chronic neck pain. This neck pain if untreated may lead to muscle tension, soreness and headaches.
3. Helps In Removing Stress and Depression, Also Easing Postpartum Depression:
Research suggests that acupuncture can treat depression and stress in 3 months. Weekly acupuncture sessions for the prevailing stress and depression if continued without fail, causes neurotransmitter in our brain to refresh and relax our body and mind. It mellows our nervous system thus, making us more equipped to fight stress.
[Read: Ways to relieve stress naturally]
4. Acupuncture helps in treating anxiety:
Numerous studies have shown effects of acupuncture on anxiety disorder, anxiety neurosis, and preoperative anxiety. Clinical trials have found an exact correlation between acupuncture and anxiety reduction. Continued acupuncture treatments have also reduced the dosage for specific anxiety disorders. Thus treatment from acupuncture is far more beneficial than anxiety medicines for their side effects are zilch. Whereas the prescription drugs causes nausea, mood swings, and even depression.
5. Acupuncture Helps In Treating Insomnia And Makes One Sleep Better:
Studies show that acupuncture increases the secretion of nocturnal melatonin, a chemical which aids in sleep induction. Within a few months acupuncture is believed to have cured insomnia for many people.
6. Acupuncture Also Treats Fibromyalgia:
Some studies have proved that fibromyalgia, which is a widespread ailment of muscle and tissues is treated with acupuncture and it results in less soreness and tenderness. As acupuncture alters brain chemistry, it thus helps in reducing the pains emerging from fibromyalgia.
7. Acupuncture Is Believed To Reduce Menstrual Cramps:
Dysmenorrhea is the term for menstrual cramps in our body. Spasms in lower abdomen and back are widespread among large number of women. Acupuncture is believed to reduce the frequency of monthly spasm episodes and also their intensity
8. Acupuncture Helps In Relieving Arthritis Pain:
Modern medicine falls short in providing long term cure for arthritis and studies have shown that acupuncture helps in relieving such pain. A special kind of acupuncture called Bee Venom Acupuncture or BVA where bee venom is applied in addition to the needles, this reduces the pain from arthritis.
9. Acupuncture Also Improves Chemotherapy Recovery:
Acupuncture helps in boosting immunity and thus speeds up recovery following chemotherapy treatments. Study shows that acupuncture enhanced the platelets counts and prevented a decrease of healthy cells after radiation therapy. Research also shows that patients given acupuncture treatments experience less pain from radiation treatments. It improved their quality of life and decreased side effects erupting from chemotherapy.
10. Acupuncture Helps In Preventing Cognitive Decline:
Studies suggest new insights on the effectiveness of acupuncture on Parkinson’s disease. Acupuncture generated neural response in the areas of the brain like putamen and the thalamus, which are affected under parkinson’s.
11. Acupuncture Helps In Treating Asthma:
Acupuncture Benefits for Health and Wellness – Asthma is the inflammation of the tubes carrying air to the lungs in our body. Asthma results in episodes of wheezing coughing and difficulty in breathing. Acupuncture is believed to provide relief in severe asthma related problems by unblocking the Chi.
12. Acupuncture Helps In Treating Nausea And Vomiting:
Nausea and vomiting emerging from any condition can be cured by acupuncture. Pregnancy, arthritis medicines, migraines or any other causes, but nausea and vomiting can be treated effectively using acupuncture.
13. Acupuncture During Delivery And Menopause:
Delivery and menopause are the most critical times for a woman’s hormonal imbalance in the biological system. Acupuncture is believed to balance the hormones and reduce muscular tensions in addition to stress in our minds. These help in easing out the pain and body imbalance during delivery and menopause. It also eases frequency and severity of hot flashes during these hormonal outbursts.
14. Acupuncture Helps In Treating Obesity:
Acupuncture unblocks the energy flow in our body, thus helping in smooth flow of metabolic activities too. They also help in improved system functions and thus help in curing obesity.
15. Acupuncture Also Helps In Drug Rehabilitation, Dental Pain And Myofascial Pains:
Studies have shown that acupuncture helps in relieving acute and chronic pains and prevents nervous breakdowns.
Acupuncture Benefits For Lifestyle And Wellness:
- Acupuncture reduces stress and depression so it helps in improving our happiness quotient
- Acupuncture helps in treating insomnia thus it is a better aid for sleeping properly. This helps in keeping our mind refreshed and revitalized.
- Acupuncture keeps the chronic pains from migraine and headache at bay, thus preventing mood swings and more severe temperament issues.
- Acupuncture works on clearing the energy blocks in our body, thus they help in rejuvenating our entire system and enabling mental peace and wellness.
- Many problems of female hormonal imbalance are more psychologically aggravating than physiologically. But acupuncture keeps them contained and thus help in maintaining psychological health too.
Is Acupuncture Safe And What Are The Guidelines:
- Acupuncture is a relatively safe form of treatment for a medical condition.
- There are extremely few side effects of acupuncture.
- Acupuncture must be done by a certified acupuncturist, having a license for practicing
- Needles must be sterile and for one time use only. Else, there may be chances of infection
- There have been extremely rare severe fatal effects from acupuncture, but the safety and training standards must be ensured by practitioner to avoid such cases.
The above compilation on “Acupuncture Benefits For Health and Wellness” is to bring forth the diverse health and wellness benefits this traditional Chinese form of alternative medicine brings. The chronic pain and inflammations in our body are far from being cured, in medical dimensions. So acupuncture helps in easing and reducing the impacts of these ailments. Also, acupuncture goes in conjunction with other forms of medicine so it is definitely an aid in improving the effects of prescription drugs and surgical treatments. As a safe and stress free treatment, it helps in reducing the trauma which otherwise could cause more severe repercussions.
Do not proceed without medical supervision, check with your healthcare provider for more specific details. Keep wiring to us, we love your suggestions!