| Treat chronic pain--and more--with acupuncture |
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What is acupuncture? Acupuncture is an ancient practice during which very fine needles are inserted into the skin at strategic points on the body to relieve pain and treat disease.
How does acupuncture work? It depends on who you talk to. The Chinese developed acupuncture centuries ago in accordance with the theory that energy flows through channels between the surface of the body and internal organs. Chinese medicine maintains that the more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body connect with 12 main and eight secondary "meridians" or channels. Pain and disease are the result of these channels becoming blocked. By placing needles at one end of the channel, healthy energy can be restored.
Western medicine's view of how acupuncture works is that placement of acupuncture needles at specific pain points releases endorphins and opioids, the body's natural painkillers, and perhaps immune system cells as well as neurotransmitters and neurohormones in the brain. Research has shown that glucose and other bloodstream chemicals become elevated after acupuncture.
According to the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, there is evidence that stimulating acupuncture points enables electromagnetic signals to be relayed at a greater rate than under normal conditions. This may increase the flow of healing or pain-killing natural chemicals to injured areas. When pain is relieved, patients feel a greater sense of well-being overall, physically and emotionally. As a result, they may heal faster.
Additionally, most acupuncture points coincide with the "trigger points" described by Janet G. Travell, MD, whose textbook, Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, is widely used at pain management centers in the West.
Adkore offers acupuncture treatment for pain management, treatment of disease, and more. Call us today to verify your benefits for acupuncture. Acupuncture is covered by insurance.
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