HOW ACUPUNCTURE AIDS IN THE HEALING PROCESS
Every day, I’m asked about the benefits of acupuncture. I love the fact that clients are asking not only holistic practitioners but also biomedical ones. As the foundation of my education is in biomedicine, I will start with current research findings on why acupuncture helps patients in many different ways.
Acupuncture can be a tough concept for many to understand because we’re used to one pill, addressing one receptor site, for one problem, which is common in modern conventional medicine. I love doing research on PubMed to gather evidence for everything from acupuncture to the herbs I use to treat my patients.
Here are a few therapeutic mechanisms acupuncture has been found to have based on current research:
It releases pain and discomfort by accessing trigger points and stimulating the release of neurotransmitters which help relax muscles and turn off pain pathways. A benefit of this is the pain management of musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis.
It stimulates the production of red and white blood cells which helps improve blood flow. Increased blow flow helps deliver healing factors to damaged areas and removes toxins. Patients with immune disorders like IMHA or ITP greatly benefit from this function.
It regulates the immune system via the stimulation of T-cells and nitric oxide production. For example, allergies exist when T Cells are a bit dysregulated, so acupuncture can help with this.
It decreases proinflammatory markers, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to decrease inflammation and pain. This is something we can all benefit from! Here’s more information on how acupuncture modulates immunity in sepsis.
It triggers neurohormonal pathways by stimulating the nerves and causing the body to release endorphins. This improves behavioral and mental health by releasing feel-good hormones.
It causes somatosensory autonomic reflexes which modulate body physiology at distant sites. Now, that was a mouthful! Have you ever wondered how inserting a needle into the foot can help elbow movement? Or how a needle inserted into the knee can stimulate the vagus nerve? Sensory neurons located in one part of the body can activate neurons in an entirely different part of the body!
Today, I’ve touched on the biomedical perspective of acupuncture, but I’ll explore the traditional reasons acupuncture works at another time, as this requires a deeper look. Just know that how we diagnose a patient is based on their individual characteristics and patterns, not on the disease process presented. The duality of my practice (biomedical with traditional holistic) combining modern research with ancient knowledge, gives me the ability to offer a broader scope of treatment options. These are tailored to fit each patient as an individual for better outcomes. Using acupuncture alone, or integrating with herbs, conventional medications, and treatments, helps restore balance to the body, stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal, and helps patients feel better overall.