David R. Johnson. Licensed Acupuncturist. Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
ACUPUNCTURE ENDS PAIN
The quick and main reason why you should get pain management from an acupuncturist.....
These days, more and more health insurances cover acupuncture treatment costs for pain management and resolution. They do this because A) studies have shown that it works; and B) in the long run it saves them money that could go to pay long term visits to doctors, prescription medications (and injections) and surgery (which there is no certainty that it will end pain for you). Again, keep in mind they do this because it saves them money because there is an end point to the treatments of pain.
Many people put up with a variety of pain issues such as: migraine headaches, back pain, neck pain, sciatica, TMJ, many kinds of body pain areas such as the shoulders or legs or feet, fibromyalgia, abdominal pain, menstrual pain, hand pain, carpal tunnel, joint pain, arthritis. They've been told that their medical options are things such as muscle relaxers, pain killers, steroid injections, epidurals, or surgery. There are also many over the counter products such as analgesics and topical pain relievers that can help. Sometimes one or a combination of these things work and sometimes they work really well. However, when a person is not getting satisfaction in their treatments or the risks and side effects outweigh the benefits, then people will turn to other health options.
Occasionally, we run into someone who has had severe back pain that was "fixed" with one with epidural injection or with surgery. Sometimes that can happen, but not in every case. But, as the medical specialists will tell you, it is related to specific conditions under specific conditions. If you are uncertain about whether you want to get surgery or use medications or get an epidural injection, then you may want to consider a safe and viable alternative in acupuncture.
What the proponents of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are saying is, that if you haven't found success with any of current western medical care, then, perhaps acupuncture and Oriental Medicine may be of a big help to you.
For example, after acupuncture treatment, you will still have the herniated or bulging discs in your neck and yet not have pain. Most of the time the pain is located in the soft tissue, the fascia, the muscles, even though the source of the pain may be in the spinal column.
The source of pain can be an accident (like experiencing a fall), or incorrect mechanical movement (such as repetitive strain injury) or lack of or limited movement. In addition to acupuncture, part of the process of ending the pain is to see what posture and movement exercises will support the healing process. Generally speaking, pain can result from injury or damage to nerves and nerve routes in specific areas of the body. Pain is an alarm signal to call your attention to something that is wrong. The problem is once you know that there is an issue it would be nice to turn of the alarm. Inflammation in a body area can prolong the healing process. Sometimes the body's healing ability "gets stuck" or blocked and acupuncture can unblock and motivate the body to continue the healing process. Sometimes there are existing issues that can impact healing such as poor or inadequate amounts of sleep, improper nutrition, food allergies and eating habits, not hydrating (drinking enough water) and so on. These can be examined and restored to health and help end pain.
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