Acupuncture Treatment

What Is Acupuncture?

According to the National Institute of Health, acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. Practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It focuses on the electrical energy in the nervous system and organs with the use of fine, hair-like needles that help to reprogram the body to a healthier state.

Conditions Treated

Acupuncture can effectively treat a wide variety of health concerns. This is often used in an integrative approach, alongside conventional medical treatments. Below is a list of conditions commonly treated with acupuncture.

• Pain conditions: Musculoskeletal pain (back, neck, knee, shoulder, etc.) arthritis, gout, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, migraines, headaches
• Digestive/metabolic conditions: acid reflux, IBS, constipation/diarrhea, ulcers
• Men’s Health: prostate problems, sexual dysfunction, incontinence
• Women’s Health: PMS, painful periods, menstrual irregularities, UTI, menopausal symptoms, incontinence
• Neurological conditions: Bell’s Palsy, neuropathy & numbness, stroke, vertigo
• Emotional/Psychological conditions: depression, attention disorders, stress, anxiety, sleep disorders
• Dermatological conditions: eczema, psoriasis, acne, shingles, and hives
• Respiratory and allergies: asthma, allergic rhinitis, recovery from the common cold, sinus headaches, sore throat
• Eye and Ear conditions: earache, tinnitus, dizziness, and poor eyesight
• Addiction: smoking cessation, Alcohol dependence, prescription and other drugs
• Other conditions: cancer pain, adverse reactions to radiation and/or chemotherapy, hypertension

How Acupuncture Works

Acupuncture focuses on the electrical energy in the nervous system and organs. Thin, hair-like needles are used at specific acupuncture points to help reprogram the body to a healthier state. This can begin the process of restoring harmony and rebalancing Qi flow in the body. There is ample research indicating that acupuncture stimulates the release of neurochemicals. The most common neurochemicals researched in acupuncture pain relief are endorphins and midbrain monoamines such as serotonin and norepinephrine. These all help in blocking pain signals. Furthermore, the local stimulation of needles at the site of pain causes a cascade of cytokines & interleukins, which regulate inflammatory cells.

Body Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, as described above.

Auricular/Ear Acupuncture & Ear seeds
This is often combined with body acupuncture and can have many additional benefits in pain relief, insomnia, smoking cessation, and other substance use disorders. This treatment modality can be used as the primary treatment or added to other therapies.

Scalp Acupuncture
Also known as neuroacupuncture, combines knowledge of traditional acupuncture and neurology. This is done by inserting acupuncture needles into the loose areolar tissue of the scalp to stimulate the corresponding area of the brain. The skull protects the brain, so it is a very safe way to stimulate neurons of the brain. Scalp acupuncture is most commonly used for post-stroke and other neurological problems. It can be used as a primary treatment or added to other therapies.

Electrical Stimulation Acupuncture
This is an additional component to acupuncture treatment in which a mild, electric current passes between needles with the use of small electrodes. This provides a gentle vibration that stimulates the acupuncture points and allows for a larger area of stimulation. Also known as “e-stim”, it is a technique often shown to benefit cases of chronic pain, stubborn neurological conditions, and paralysis.

Dry Needling/ Trigger Point Needling
There is a common misconception that dry needling is different from acupuncture. However, dry needling is acupuncture……as it is the insertion of a needle into muscles. The term “dry needling” came from original use of hollow needles (empty/”dry”) to stimulate trigger points for pain relief, whereas solid filiform needles are more commonly used today.

Now, this method of acupuncture is often used by practitioners outside of the scope of Chinese Medicine who use the same filiform needles as acupuncturists. Although trigger point needling/dry needling is a new term, it uses the same traditional acupuncture technique of treating Ashi points. Ashi points are simply areas that are tender to the touch and are often found during a physical examination.

Dry needling is in the scope of practice for acupuncturists and is a part of our educational training. Licensed Acupuncturists in the U.S. have to complete at least 2000 hours of acupuncture-specific training, didactic material and supervised clinical training, and biomedical training.