Physical pain is a common occurrence for many Canadians. To relieve their pain, many people take over-the-counter medications or prescription medicines. However, many people still experience pain despite taking such medications. This is why many Canadians seek alternative methods and medicines to hopefully find an effective way to ease their pain with minimum side effects, such as acupuncture.
Acupuncture, among the oldest healing practices in the world, is part of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for many centuries by the Chinese to treat all types of disease and pain. Acupuncture practitioners stimulate specific points on the body—most often by inserting thin needles through the skin. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, this regulates the flow of Qi (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. It is believed that the body contains about 500 acupuncture points connected to the 14 main meridians or channels. Certain acupuncture points are used to treat specific locations of the pain. For instance, acupuncture points on the hands and legs are used to treat headaches.
Acupuncture is being studied for its efficacy in alleviating many kinds of pain. There are promising findings in some conditions, such as chronic low-back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee. People use acupuncture for various types of pain. Back pain is the most commonly reported use, followed by joint pain, neck pain, and headache.
Even though no definitive answer is available at this moment, there are theories on how acupuncture might work. Studies have shown that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system to release natural pain killers such as endorphins, thereby reducing the pain experienced by the person.
Another idea is that acupuncture blocks the transmission of electrical impulses to the nervous system, thus preventing pain.
When an outside stimulus is detected by sensory neurons, a pain message in the form of electrical impulses is sent to the spinal cord. The spinal cord then processes the information and sends it to the brain. A person is believed to experience pain when the message is relayed to the brain.
Acupuncture is an effective method of pain relief as studies have shown. With all the medical advances taking place in Western medicine, a 3000-year-old technique for treating pain is making a comeback.
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