Pain Relief Without Drugs
Acupuncture and Pain Relief
According to a report published in The Lancet, over forty percent of Americans
have acute or chronic pain conditions that may require treatment. Acute
pain, which starts quickly and does not last long, may be caused by an
infection, accident or surgery. Chronic pain, which may be the result of
a specific condition, might not diminish with conventional therapies and
generally does not go away with the passage of time. Whether acute or chronic,
pain is a warning sign telling you something is wrong.
Conventional Drug Treatment
Many people choose to deal with their pain by ignoring it or using drugs
to treat the symptoms. Conventional drug treatment options for pain often
include anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen,
etc.) or steroid injections. Both have a potential for side effects like
stomach ulcers, bleeding, liver failure, bone loss, or adrenal burnout.
Unlike the many drugs used for pain management, there are no inherent side
effects with acupuncture.
How Pain Occurs
An understanding of how pain occurs is critical to finding more effective
ways to manage it. There are millions of sensory receptors in the body
that keep the brain informed about the conditions of the body. These receptors
and the brain communicate in a complicated code through a network of nerves
located throughout the body. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate
this network of nerves to release chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord,
and brain. These chemicals either change the experience of pain or release
other chemicals, such as hormones, that influence the body's self-regulating
systems. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing
abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.
Acupuncture Recognized as Effective for Pain
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded that acupuncture
starts the flow of pain-relieving endorphins and immune system cells to
specific sites in the body that are injured or vulnerable to disease. Both
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the NIH acknowledge the benefits
of acupuncture for treating and eliminating pain due to a wide range of
causes. Stress-related disorders, pain management, and chronic disease
are three of acupuncture medicine’s specialties.
Recent Research
Here are just a few of the many study results published recently:
- A major study reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine (December
2004) found that acupuncture relieves pain and improves function
for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
- The British Medical Journal
reported that weekly acupuncture sessions
markedly eased pain and stiffness in patients taking prescription
anti-inflammatory drugs and was effective for treatment of
chronic headaches, particularly
migraines.
- Time magazine (February 2005) ran a series of articles
on pain management and identified acupuncture for the treatment
of headaches and osteoarthritis.
Acupuncture Complements Other Approaches Increasingly, acupuncture is complementing conventional therapies. For
example, doctors and acupuncturists may work together to control surgery-related
pain in their patients. By providing both acupuncture and certain conventional
anesthetic drugs, it is possible to achieve a state of complete pain relief
for some patients. Using acupuncture lowers the need for conventional pain-killing
drugs and thus reduces the risk of side effects for patients who take the
drugs. Acupuncture is offered as part of an array of therapies at many
well-known hospitals throughout the country, including the M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center in New York City.
To learn more about how acupuncture can improve the quality of your
life, call The Healing Acupuncture Center at 512 458.7880 or
with your questions.
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