What You Need to Know About Acupuncture

The Comprehensive Guide to Acupuncture: Benefits and Types

Acupuncture is a traditional therapy used to treat a wide range of health conditions and symptoms, offering several potential health benefits. The acupuncture treatment is based on traditional Chinese medicine, which uses very thin needles to reduce pain and other symptoms. These thin steel needles are inserted in your skin at certain points known as "Acupoints". However, if you want to know about Acupuncture and how it is done or are interested in knowing more about it, here are some things you need to know about Acupuncture.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a treatment that involves thin steel needles that have to be inserted into your skin at a certain point throughout your body to stimulate pain relief and reduce disease symptoms. These acupoints include the neck, back, face, head, hands and legs. The main purpose of Acupuncture is to reduce pain, relieve symptoms of various health conditions, manage stress, and promote overall wellness. mainly for overall wellness. Acupuncture is also an effective therapy, but in some cases, you may also need other medical treatment to help relieve your health condition.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, Acupuncture is a technique that balances the flow of energy that flows through pathways in your body. In Acupuncture, when the needle is inserted in the pathway, it is believed that your energy flow will be rebalanced. Modern Western practice, acupuncture is believed to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissues, helping the body release natural pain‑relieving chemicals. Some also believe that Acupuncture can help boost the body's oxygen circulation and natural painkillers.

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What does Acupuncture treat?

Acupuncture is mainly used to treat many health conditions and relieve discomfort associated with diseases and symptoms.

It helps with long-term pain and includes:

•  Headache, including migraines and tension headaches. 
• Arthritis.
• Knee pain.
• Neck and back pain.
• Muscle pain.
• Sports injuries.
• Menstrual cramps.
• Tennis elbow. 
• Face pain and other nerve discomfort.

Other health conditions in which Acupuncture can help include:

• Immune system-related issues.
• Cancer treatment side effects.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Infertility.
• Menopause and hot flashes. 
• Repetitive strain disorders and overuse syndrome.
• Pregnancy discomforts.

Before exploring the different types of acupuncture, let’s answer one common question: Is acupuncture covered by insurance? Well, acupuncture coverage by insurance varies significantly. Coverage varies widely-some insurance plans include acupuncture, while many do not

Are there different types of Acupuncture?

According to the traditional Chinese medicine TCM acupuncture, the focus is primarily on directing the flow of energy through meridians using needles. Modern (Western) acupuncture focuses on stimulating nerves and muscle trigger points to relieve pain through your body with the help of needles. In the modern way of Acupuncture, Western medicine and needles are used to stimulate the body's system, mainly for pain relief. However, many acupuncturists use both approaches. In Acupuncture, needles are used on muscle and connective tissue to trigger points and painful knots for pain relief.  

Additional treatment :

Besides dry needling, there are some other acupuncture methods:

• Cupping:This is a pseudoscience in which suction is created through heated glass cups on the points of tension on the body. This technique of creating suction on the skin increases the blood flow to the area and helps in releasing the tension.
• Electroacupuncture:The treatment involves small needles and low-voltage electric current. The process will involve insertion of small needles into your skin at specific acupuncture points and then stimulating them with low-voltage electric current.
• Moxibustion: It is a form of Acupuncture which involves heat application on a certain point on your body to relieve pain. Small spongy herbs are burnt and kept on the points, as it is believed that those herbs enhance healing with Acupuncture and stimulate the circulation of energy and blood flow through your blood.  

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How does Acupuncture work?

According to Chinese medicine, the energy flow in your body is known as Qi. They believe that the disturbance in Qi creates an imbalance in your body's energy, which leads to health issues and illness. Therefore, some forms of Acupuncture try to rebalance Qi in your body through needles that are inserted into your skin and touched to the Acupuncture points throughout your body.  

The use of needles on your body to stimulate the immune system to:

• Re-balance your body's energy(Qi).
• Proper circulation of oxygen throughout your body.
• Release natural chemicals, such as endorphins, neurotransmitters, and the body's natural painkiller. 
• Important chemical that controls nerve impulses. 
• These chemicals play an important role in controlling nerve impulses and modulating pain

There are many ways to perform Acupuncture, and still, some are unknown. Research suggests that stimulating acupuncture points may influence the nervous system and connective tissues in various ways.

• Connective tissue:Acupuncture can change the activities of sensory neurons under the muscle and skin in the connective tissues. When needles are inserted into the exact acupoint, it helps with pain relief and has anti-inflammatory effects, although more research is still needed.
• Nervous system function: Acupuncture helps release neurotransmitters and hormones, chemicals associated with immune function, and modulates the levels of cytokines.

What happens during the procedure?

During the appointment, your acupuncturist will ask you some questions related to your health condition and medication history, and then they will give you the general site of the planned treatment and where the needles are going to be placed. Then, they may ask you to remove clothing for the treatment, but they will provide you with a gown, sheet or towel if needed. You will be asked to lie down on a table for the treatment, which involves these steps:  

• Needle insertion: Small, thin, sterile, steel needles will be inserted into various points with various depths on your body. These needles are extremely thin, and many people barely feel the insertion. In the typical treatment, it takes 5 to 20 needles to insert at certain points; you may feel a little aching sensation when the needle hits the right depth where you have pain.
• Needle manipulation: Your acupuncturist may gently twirl or move the needle after some time of placement, or they may apply low-voltage current or heat to the needles. 
• Needle removal: The needles remain in place for a few minutes or as long as 15 to 20 minutes, while you still lie still on the table and relax. Most people do not feel any kind of discomfort when the needles are removed.

What happens after the procedure?

Acupuncture mostly have calming effect afterwards, specially for the first time. But for some people, they may feel energetic after the treatment as the pain relieve can bring back there energy. 

Your acupuncturist may ask you to call for a ride home or ask you to take it light for one or two days. You can take a 10-minute rest after the procedure. However, not everyone responds the same to Acupuncture. If the symptoms don't go away within a few weeks of treatment, you may need some other treatment option. Maybe Acupuncture is not right for you.

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Risks and benefits:

What are the benefits of Acupuncture?

Acupuncture has many health benefits, as it helps relieve long-term pain and other health conditions and their symptoms. Worldwide, people use Acupuncture to get relief from pain throughout the body; even some people take acupuncture treatment for their back pain, migraines and Arthritis. Many studies say that Acupuncture can be the best option for many health conditions, such as Infertility, effects of menopause and immune system issues.

What are the complications and risks of Acupuncture?

When a certified professional acupuncturist is performing Acupuncture, there are very few chances of complications or side effects. Only sterile, non-toxic and single-use steel needles should be used during the process. However, there can be side effects if you receive Acupuncture from unqualified practitioners, as it may cause infection, central nervous system injuries, and even organ punctures. 

Nowadays, people are using single-use disposable needles for their practice, which reduces the risk of infection. Some common side effects of Acupuncture include:

• Soreness.
• Minor bleeding.
• Swelling.
• Bruising where the needles are inserted. 

But before you go for Acupuncture, you should inform your acupuncturist about your medical conditions, which include:

• If you are pregnant, there are some acupuncture points which can stimulate labour, resulting in premature delivery.
• Having a pacemaker: You should tell your practitioner before the process if there is a pacemaker, because in some acupuncture methods, they use low-voltage electrical current that may interfere with the pacemaker's operation. 

Conclusion:

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy that includes inserting needles to treat various health conditions and stimulate pain relief, and it also helps rebalance energy flow. It is recommended to consult with a professional acupuncturist to schedule a session, as Acupuncture is not a one-time thing. It needs time and patience. Acupuncture is helpful in many health issues and is also good for a healthier life. Choosing a certified practitioner is important for safe, precise application and personalised care.