Did you know that acupuncture is one of the most common and safest forms of healthcare treatment in the world? Acupuncture has been providing relief to patients for thousands of years. If you’ve never tried acupuncture before but have always been curious about the benefits, here are 8 reasons that I believe everyone should get acupuncture.
But first, a little about acupuncture…
Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)—a complete medical system that has been developed and evolving for over 2000 years. While it can be hard to understand, as we are as yet unclear about the mechanisms, our health relies on a balanced flow of energy throughout the body. This energy is called Qi (pronounced “chee”). When something disrupts the flow of Qi—like an injury, traumatic experience, infection, illness, or prolonged stressor—we may experience symptoms like pain, fatigue, tension, anxiety, poor digestion, hormonal imbalance…the list goes on.
In traditional acupuncture, practitioners must first take a proper TCM assessment to diagnose the issues at hand so that they can address both the root cause as well as the symptoms themselves. Acupuncture treatment involves inserting hair-thin needles into certain points on your body. We generally leave the needles in place for some time, while you get to relax, daydream, meditate, or take a nap. I know it can be hard to believe that you might sleep with needles in, but it’s true. And it’s bliss. Acupuncture stimulates responses in your body, such as an increase in circulation, reduction of muscular tension, changes in your brain activity, and release of stress-reducing neurochemicals.
1. It relieves pain
If you’re suffering from chronic pain or discomfort anywhere in your body, acupuncture is an effective way to treat it. The needles can help relieve back and neck pain, headaches, arthritis, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, knee pain, and more.
I can offer my own personal story of how acupuncture has vastly improved my own life. I used to get nearly daily headaches, but after Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment and acupuncture, they are a rare occurrence for me now. My chronic knee pain from chondromalacia patella (not enough cartilage under my kneecaps) is also highly managed by acupuncture, meaning I no longer have to wear my knee braces or orthotics.
Pain is definitely one of the main things that I see patients for in clinic, and it’s something I love to treat.
2. It reduces inflammation
Acupuncture works by promoting your body’s natural healing responses and releasing endorphins. When you get an acupuncture treatment, a cascade of reactions occurs in your body, including the release of endorphins that help reduce inflammation. While inflammation is part of a healing response—initially—it is also the precipitator of many illnesses and diseases, particularly when inflammation becomes chronic. The less chronic inflammation, the better your body, including your immune system, can function.
3. It lowers stress
Stress can negatively affect your immune system by depleting the number of disease-fighting white blood cells in your body. In fact, I often think of stress as acting like a volume knob or button on current health issues. In other words, if you have a tendency toward a more sensitive digestive system, then when you get stressed, you may find you suffer more bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, diarrhea, or constipation. If a good night of sleep tends to elude you, then stress can keep you up all night or cause you to wake from a heart-thumping nightmare.
Acupuncture helps reduce stress by triggering the release of endorphins (brain hormones that promote feelings of well-being) and serotonin (a chemical that helps regulate mood, sleep, and appetite).
4. It supports a healthy immune response
When you get an acupuncture treatment, that reduction in chronic inflammation, calming of the nervous system, and management of pain can allow your immune system to do its job better.
That might mean that your immune system is stimulated to produce white blood cells to fight an infection and foreign invaders in the body, reducing your chance of getting sick or the severity or duration of your illness.
It can also mean a toning down of an overzealous immune system response to something that is not an invader. These are autoimmune illnesses like allergies, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
5. It promotes healthy digestion
Some of us do not offer as much attention to our digestive systems as we should. Advertisements show us that we can simply take a pill—like Tums, Gravol, or Pepto Bismol—when digestive issues arise. No biggie.
While you might not think of your digestive system as a major player in your overall health, it is! It’s responsible for breaking down the nutrients you take in through food and drink and delivering them to cells throughout your body. So, even if your symptoms are mild or manageable with medications, it’s time to take the reins of your health by improving your digestive functions, as you are weakening your whole-body health if you aren’t assimilating enough nutrients. Plus, if you ignore it and it gets worse, you likely know how constipation, diarrhea, gas, or other digestive issues can take over and ruin your day.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for a variety of digestive issues, including stomach pain, acid reflux, gas, bloating, food sensitivities, and other gastrointestinal problems. Having said that, I still always look to make food recommendations because if what you are eating is harming you (or at least not helping you), then acupuncture alone can’t fix that.
6. It improves energy levels
If you find yourself struggling to get out of bed in the morning or running out of steam before the workday is up, a TCM practitioner can assess the likely causes for your fatigue and use acupuncture to help restore balance. The dysfunction of any of your organs can zap you of energy. It could be that your lungs aren’t oxygenating your blood well enough, your liver is not detoxifying your blood efficiently, your kidneys aren’t filtering properly, your intestines aren’t absorbing nutrients effectively, or your brain has suffered a concussion and is chronically inflamed. It could also be that stress from life is simply draining your energy and mental resources. Or perhaps you can’t shut off your brain to get a good night of sleep.
Fix the leak, the blockade, the problem, and you can feel more energized again.
7. It calms nerves and improves sleep
If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, acupuncture may be able to help by reducing stress and relieving tension in your body and mind. Some people also find that nightmares, sleep walking, or teeth grinding prevent them from feeling rested, even if they did essentially get enough sleep hours.
Whether you struggle with insomnia or just want a better night’s sleep, acupuncture can help your body relax and allow your mind to get the rest it needs.
8. Finally, it’s crazy relaxing
Most of my patients fall asleep on the table. Some on a regular basis, some just occasionally, but almost everyone falls asleep at least once. Now maybe that’s partly a sign of how too many of us are underslept (see #7 above), but it’s also just one of most instant perks of getting acupuncture. Patients have told me it’s the most relaxed they’ve felt in their lives. Others tell me acupuncture is their “spa time.” And still others simply say “zzzzzzz” and I have to wake them to get up after their treatments (sorry, I do feel badly to have to do that).
Part of the reason for the relaxation is that you are given permission—in fact, encouraged—to do nothing. You can’t do anything physical when you are on the table with needles. And I always suggest you stop with the mental to-do lists, the planning and organizing, and the reviewing of happenings of the day when you are on my table. Instead, I suggest you sleep, daydream, meditation, visualization, or breathwork.
Another reason for the bliss is that you are getting a hit of endorphin—endogenous (your body makes) morphines—when you get acupuncture. Not so much that you shouldn’t drive or operate large machinery afterward—though some people do need to give themselves a good 10-15 minutes before doing so—but enough to feel a bit out of it.
For all these reasons and many more, if you haven’t already tried acupuncture (or if it’s been awhile), what are you waiting for?
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