Is Acupuncture An Effective Treatment For Chronic Pain?

Is Acupuncture an effective treatment for Chronic Pain?

Around a staggering 10 million people in India are diagnosed with chronic pain every year. Pain comes with an injury and dissipates when the body heals. In some people, the pain persists. If it refuses to go away even after six months, it is called chronic pain. Chronic pain manifests itself as joint pain, headaches, muscle strain (fibromyalgia), Lyme disease, knee pain, shoulder pain etc. People with chronic pain suffer intolerable pain day in and day out. Over the course of time, it adversely affects one’s psychological health and productivity.

Chronic pain is the bane of the existence of millions. Hardly any medicine can bring relief over the long-term. Many physicians recommend acupuncture as an alternate but highly efficacious treatment for chronic pain.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese tradition. It is no longer considered an exotic dubious practice. Over the last few years, it has been gaining traction in the medical community because it is highly effective for the treatment of a number of ailments.

Acupuncture involves the application of needles and heat to particular pressure points of the body. It is believed that pain is rooted in the stoppage of the vital natural force of our body. Acupuncture releases this natural energy or ‘chi ’which can combat pain.

How does Acupuncture combat Chronic Pain?

• Acupuncture works by tweaking our neurotransmitters and hormone levels. Needles inserted during acupuncture can stimulate nerves, which in turn can promote the secretion of endorphins. Endorphins make the opiate receptors of our brain perceive less pain. Thus, acupuncture actually promotes self-healing. It makes the body itself cure its ailments.

• Doctors usually prescribe opioids to treat chronic pain. Opioids are a kind of narcotics and are very harmful to the body. They cause sedation, drowsiness, constipation, loss of appetite and respiratory problems. More alarmingly, they make a person dependent on narcotics and lead to addiction. If taken with certain other medication opioids may even prove to be fatal. Acupuncture, on the other hand, is clean and efficient. No foreign bodies enter your system and acupuncture can mitigate the dangerous effects of opioids.

• How long a person is required to undergo acupuncture depends on the severity of his/her chronic pain. Usually, one session is prescribed for every week. An individual session can last from thirty minutes to two hours.

Acupuncture may take time to reveal its efficacy. Therefore, the person undergoing acupuncture has to exercise patience. You will know that acupuncture is working when the symptoms show signs of receding and you no longer have to take recourse to pain medication.