Treating Pain with Acupuncture:
The most common reason that people in the US seek acupuncture is for treating pain. This is most likely because
of the simple fact that acupuncture does treat pain effectively. I want to also say that acupuncture and
Chinese medicine treat many other things very effectively as well. But as far as pain goes, a small
majority of our patients do seek us out, at least initially, for pain relief. Many times after their pain
is resolved they become interested in the other benefits of acupuncture and herbs which are many. Because
acupuncture is still somewhat on the esoteric side for most Americans it can be hard to explain to them
exactly how it works. The Chinese medicine approach to health and the way it works is very different from the
western medical approach. Often this is a positive thing for the patient, trying to solve their problem with
a different approach, a different theory, or a different mindset. It is because of this that we often tell
our patients that many times pain or ailments that don't respond well to western treatment will often
respond well to acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Sometimes a fresh approach is what is needed if other
methods have been ineffective.
Without going into too much detail about the theory of how acupuncture helps or cures pain in the body, I
want to simplify it here and say that we think of pain as something stuck or a blockage or an imbalance. By
stuck I mean that there is impaired movement in the area, movement of blood and fluids and energy. There is
an ancient saying in Chinese medicine that 'if there is pain then there is blockage, if there is no blockage
there is no pain.' So much of what we do with acupuncture and Chinese medicine regarding pain is to try and
remove blockages and thus remove the pain. With acute injury this often happens very quickly; with chronic
pain, it can take more time just because the blockage is more stubborn and has become in a sense the new
normal for your body. So the acupuncture needles stimulate the body to remove these blockages as do the herbs
we prescribe as does the cupping, moxibustion or other methods we use.
So this is a simplified explanation of how we treat pain with acupuncture and Chinese medicine. This also explains why the results are usually
permanent. If the blockage is removed, then there is no mechanism for the pain to exist. Pain is just your
body's cry for help, and if there is no blockage there is no danger to the tissues and no reason to cry out.
Acupuncture does not try and mask the pain, it is not a painkiller. Its goal is to remove the root of the
pain, the blockage, and truly heal the body.