A recent NIH study shows acupuncture is effective for treating low back pain and arthritic knees. The study also sheds favorable light on other natural mindbody therapies like yoga and meditation in the treatment of painful conditions.
Chronic Pain is an Epidemic
Chronic pain is a big problem. Studies show that 100 million Americans suffer from pain of twelve weeks duration or longer in any calendar year. Forty million of those sufferers describe their discomfort as ‘severe’.
For the most part conventional medicine treats that pain with drugs — either over the counter or prescription medications.
The problem with only using the drug approach is that the medications are often ineffective, addictive, or come with intolerable side-effects.
Acupuncture for Pain – Activating Your Body’s Innate Wisdom
Patients often ask how acupuncture works.
It works because it activates the body’s innate self-healing and self-regulating capacity.
Acupuncture works because it’s relaxing and helps individuals to unwind and let go. Letting go in a deeply relaxing and safe therapeutic environment resets the body’s self-healing capacity.
High-tech medicine is fantastic in life or death scenarios. But when it comes to chronic pain and illness, it’s only the body’s inner wisdom that does the healing.
Good food, exercise, de-stressing, and body friendly therapies like acupuncture are the keys to re-setting the body’s very own inner healing mechanisms.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback.