Acupuncture
What to expect
Fine needles a bit thicker than a hair may be placed at acupuncture points throughout your body. Most people find treatments to be very comfortable and relaxing. Occasionally you may feel a quick, temporary pinch or tolerable ache around a point. These sensations are to be expected but you may also feel absolutely nothing. After needle placement, you rest for 20-30 minutes on a comfortable, warmed treatment table. “That was it?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that reaction from a patient getting treatment for the first time. It is not as uncomfortable as people imagine.
How does it work?
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that our health is maintained by a balance of vital energy in the body (or Qi, pronounced chee). If Qi becomes stagnant or deficient, one experiences symptoms of pain, fatigue or dysfunction. Stimulation of points along meridian pathways that influence the organ systems can help your body redirect and rebuild this energy.
You do not have to believe in Qi to know acupuncture works!
Many studies have validated acupuncture’s effectiveness such as the 2012 Annals of Internal Medicine study that found acupuncture significantly relieves pain (back, neck, arthritis, shoulder, headaches) compared to placebo in 18,000 people.
Research has revealed that acupuncture has both local and systemic effects. Locally, the needles can stimulate chemicals that mediate pain and reduce inflammation. Systemically, acupuncture stimulates neurotransmitters, endorphins, and nerve receptors that reduce pain perception and improve mood. Overall, acupuncture seems to have a regulatory effect on the autonomic nervous system that controls the fight or flight stress response, digestion, respiration, heart rate and blood pressure.
Acupuncture has also has a regulatory effect on progesterone and estrogen levels, likely because the autonomic nervous system influences our endocrine or hormonal functions.