10 Ways that Acupuncture Can Benefit EVERYONE
Let’s get to the point about acupuncture. If you are living in the hustle and bustle of the modern world, there are many ways that this natural therapy can be of benefit to you. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting thin needles into the skin, into points that run along a series of channels which are related to your organs. Not only is there ancient Chinese Medicine theory behind acupuncture, but there’s also a lot of emerging Western scientific research to provide proof of the immense therapeutic benefits. When placed by a professional licensed acupuncturist, these needles can access your body’s nervous system, blood flow, and microcirculation in order to restore you to optimum health. Here are 10 important benefits of acupuncture that can be helpful to everyone, throughout every stage of life. Read on if you’re ready to step up your self-care.
Drop into deep relaxation
Most people have to deal with high stress levels due to the busy nature of our modern lives. Constant stress doesn't feel good, and beyond that it damages the body in the long-term. Acupuncture has access to the central nervous system, allowing the body to release neurotransmitters such as endorphins and serotonin. Acupuncture can stimulate the release of stress-fighting hormones. Relaxation is the most common response that patients experience after an acupuncture session. Many even fall into a deep rejuvenating sleep during the treatment, the famous AcuNap.
Get a better night’s sleep
Having trouble sleeping? Let acupuncture tuck you in! Not getting enough hours of quality sleep can quickly throw off how you go about your whole day. Lack of sleep causes fatigue and manifests physically too— dry skin, dull complexion, bags and dark circles under irritated eyes. 10% of our population suffers from insomnia, trouble falling or staying asleep. Sleeping pills are common for treating this, but they can lead to long-term side effects. Acupuncture is a natural treatment that has great success at reducing insomnia and increasing the highest quality of sleep. It regulates the nervous system to reset the circadian rhythm. It can improve your quality of sleep, which ripples into your overall waking health. And remember that AcuNap we mentioned above? Yes, the sleep restoration often begins right on the treatment table.
Increase your energy levels
Feeling overworked, fatigued and in need of a boost? Acupuncture can provide a healthier source of energy than sipping on that cup of coffee or taking a drag on that cigarette. The fast pace and high stress of our daily lives drain your energy and make you deficient. Acupuncture is one of the best ways to revitalize those deficient body systems and sustain a much longer-term increase in energy levels…without the crash or anxiety!
Alleviate Physical Pain
Acupuncture is a very effective treatment for pain, both acute and chronic. It works to reduce the level of musculoskeletal pain and repair the damaged tissues that can follow injuries, surgeries, and accidents. Pain is caused by a signal between the nerve roots in your brain and the nerve endings in your body. Acupuncture can alleviate the pain by accessing the nervous system and releasing endorphins, which are “feel good” brain chemicals that alleviate sensations of pain and stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanism. Acupuncture also increases blood flow to the affected area, nourishing it with more oxygen and hormones to increase the speed of the healing process.
Banish headaches
Headaches can wreak havoc on the way you are able to live your life. They can be debilitating in their severity and duration. There are many different types, with the main categories being tension-type, migraine, and cervicogenic. Conventional medical treatment of headaches doesn’t often bring the sought resolution and relief from this pain. The good news is that acupuncture has great results in treating all of these types of headaches! Acupuncture can decrease the frequency and severity of headaches, and even lead to total resolution of headaches altogether.
Elevate your mood
Your mood has a big impact on how you live your daily life and perceive your existence. Depression and anxiety are common mood imbalances in our stressful modern lives, and they can cause both mental and physical suffering. Acupuncture is an effective natural treatment for both anxiety and depression. It works well on its own, but can also be paired with herbal or pharmaceutical medications to balance the mood. Acupuncture stimulates the limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotions. This slows the body’s production and release of stress hormones in order to decrease the emotional reactivity that is inherent to anxiety. It stimulates the release of dopamine, one of the neurotransmitters responsible for happiness, thus helping reverse the feelings of depression.
Smooth out your digestion
Your gut is the gateway to good digestion and overall health. Digestive issues are affecting an increasing proportion of people. From the milder issues of gas, bloating, belching and abdominal discomfort to the severe issues of constipation, diarrhea, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease and abdominal pain-- Chinese Medicine is here to help! A combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine can get to the root of the problem to restore gut health, which is the foundation of overall health.
Prevent health issues before they arise
Acupuncture has a unique specialty as a form of preventative medicine. Even though many patients seek acupuncture to treat something specific that is going on in their lives, once that is resolved it is still recommended to receive acupuncture on a regular basis. The same mechanisms which allow it to treat existing conditions, also allow it to prevent future conditions from arising in the body. It promotes increased circulation of blood, regulation of neurotransmitters and hormones, and enhanced absorption of micronutrients. Acupuncture helps maintain homeostasis in the body, allowing for its optimum functioning and your best health.
Boost your immune system
Don’t let a cold or infection slow you down! Your immune system is like your body’s security guard, fighting off opponents such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and microbes. Acupuncture is great at keeping your security guard strong by regulating immune system function. It reduces symptoms while also targeting the underlying cause. Acupuncture can cause an increase in levels of interferon, one of the immune system’s messenger hormones. Regular acupuncture treatments can help resolve existing colds and infections quickly, while strengthening your immunity to decrease your vulnerability to them in the future.
Regulate menses and women’s health
Hormonal imbalances affect many women. These imbalances can manifest during any stage of a woman’s growth, and become reflected through conditions such as abnormal menses (painful, absent, or heavy), fibroids, endometriosis, infertility and menopausal disorders. Acupuncture has an important role in regulating the neuroendocrine system, meaning it can access the signals in the brain which are controlling the hormones being produced and distributed throughout the body. By regulating these hormonal signals, acupuncture can help restore proper function to the female reproductive hormones.
References:
Dimitrov, N., Atanasova, D., Tomov, N., Sivrev, D., & Lazarov, N. (2017, December 12). Acupuncture causes serotonin release by mast cells. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29250675.
Jie, W., Fang, X., Pu, R., Su, C., Zhang, Y., Pu, Y., & Yang, C. (2017, May 28). Analgesic effect of buccal acupuncture on acute arthritis in rabbits and underlying mechanisms. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28626096.
Kim, S.-H., Jeong, J.-H., Lim, J.-H., & Kim, B.-K. (2019, September). Acupuncture using pattern-identification for the treatment of insomnia disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31497504.
Lee, M.-J., Ryu, J.-S., Won, S.-K., Namgung, U., Jung, J., Lee, S.-M., & Park, J.-Y. (2019, July 5). Effects of Acupuncture on Chronic Stress-Induced Depression-Like Behavior and Its Central Neural Mechanism. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31333523.
Mayrink, W. C., Garcia, J. B. S., Dos Santos, A. M., Nunes, J. K. V. R. S., & Mendonça, T. H. N. (2018, October). Effectiveness of Acupuncture as Auxiliary Treatment for Chronic Headache. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30059775.
Vickers, A. J., Vertosick, E. A., Lewith, G., MacPherson, H., Foster, N. E., Sherman, K. J., … Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. (2018, May). Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29198932.
Yang, Z. B., Yan, J., Zou, X. P., Yi, S. X., Chang, X. R., Lin, Y. P., & Li, X. P. (2006, September 14). Enhanced expression of epidermal growth factor receptor gene in gastric mucosal cells by the serum derived from rats treated with electroacupuncture at stomach meridian acupoints. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17007000.
Zhang, J., Wang, Y., Guo, Y., Ji, X., & Wang, S. (2018, November 30). Effect of electro-acupuncture at Zusanli acupoint on postoperative T cell immune function in rats. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30514690.
