Acupuncture: Effective Pain Relief Without Meds

People looking for a holistic approach to healing may become disappointed by inflated promises or ineffective treatments. Fortunately, not all types of homeopathic medicine rely on the placebo effect, and some treatments can be genuinely helpful when it comes to pain management. Acupuncture has been proven effective against a number of maladies; indeed, it is even more effective than traditional medicine in treating certain types of chronic pain.

Today, acupuncture is used to treat a wide variety of ailments. According to The World Health Organization, chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, tendonitis and migraines respond well to acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture can also be used to treat more acute disorders, including injuries, and it can play an important role in recovery after strokes or other neurological trauma.

In addition to its role in pain management, acupuncture is sometimes used to treat digestive disorders, depression, anxiety and reproductive disorders. It has also been shown to boost the patient's immune system, making it especially helpful for cancer and AIDS patients.

According to a study by the National Institute of Health, acupuncture treatments were substantially more effective than a placebo; they were also more effective than painkillers when treating chronic conditions. Other studies have reported similar findings.

Why Acupuncture Works

Plenty of measurable scientific data is available to demonstrate acupuncture's efficacy in controlling pain. There are two prevailing schools of thought about how acupuncture helps to control pain. The first theory suggests that the needles stimulate nerves, causing an increase in endorphins. These endorphins block pain receptors in the brain, which in turn reduces the overall pain felt by a patient. The release of endorphins also has a calming effect on the patient, which may explain why acupuncture treatments are so effective in treating anxiety disorders.

The other theory about acupuncture is relatively new. Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester Medical Center completed an acupuncture study on laboratory mice in 2010. He discovered that tissue treated with needles released an elevated level of adenosine, a natural compound that the body uses as a local pain reliever. Nedergaard also discovered that certain drugs could boost adenosine production, which would increase the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments.

In truth, acupuncture is likely effective due to both endorphin and adenosine production. By combining localized pain relief with the whole-body effect of endorphines, acupuncture can tap into the body's natural defenses and maximize its healing power. This is great news for people suffering from chronic ailments, especially pain disorders that do not respond to pharmaceutical treatments.

While patients may quickly develop a tolerance to pain medication, acupuncture treatments continue to be effective. These treatments also do not have the potentially dangerous drawbacks of prescription drugs, which can be addictive or produce unwelcome side effects. For individuals seeking a holistic approach to pain management, acupuncture is definitely a treatment to consider.