Headaches, knee pain, back pain, and nausea are just some common ailments that everyone wishes they’d never have to experience. These may be a minor inconvenience that’s also a common occurrence for a lot of people—but they can still cause some measure of discomfort that you don’t want to have. For most people, acupuncture is perhaps the last thing on their mind as an option to treat such conditions.
Acupuncture is a form of alternative treatment where needles are used to pierce the skin at strategic points in your body. The first thing that comes to your mind is probably the image of a person paralyzed by a hundred or so needles sticking out of their body. Admittedly, it looks like a scene from a horror movie—but in reality, acupuncture isn’t as bad as you might think!
The process of acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, and its true purpose has been shrouded in a string of fallacies and unfounded beliefs. You’d even be surprised to learn the acupuncture benefits outweigh the so-called risks you may have heard.
Here are a couple of those myths and the truth behind them.
Myth 1: Acupuncture Is Nothing but Pain
As we’ve mentioned, being poked with hundreds of needles is considered a nightmare by a lot of people. It’s what we expect everyone to feel—but it doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, acupuncture is best utilized for pain relief.
Yes, you read that right. Acupuncture is mainly used to help you better deal with pain. Of course, the initial prick may cause very minimal discomfort, akin to a mosquito bite. But after that, you’ll actually feel more relaxed than ever before. Oftentimes people don’t feel anything at all.
“How is that even possible?” you might ask.
Acupuncture needles are so fine and thin that it goes between the tissues of your body, rendering it less painful or even painless. Any discomfort you’ve felt will either fade after a few minutes or ease up as the needles are adjusted. There are different needle sizes to accommodate those that require a lighter touch.
Myth 2: Acupuncture Is Just a Glorified Magic Trick
Believe it or not, there is actually an explanation behind the process of needle insertion. As mentioned above, the needles pass between tissue to create an almost microscopic wound forcing the body to react. This reaction promotes circulation to the targeted area, stimulation of the immune system, pain modulation, and self-healing.
The treatment has been used since ancient times. What started as a mere home remedy has become a well-founded option for treatment recommended by the medical community. The World Health Organization (WHO) has even recognized acupuncture as a valid treatment through rigorous testing.
A lot of doctors and medical practitioners now recommend acupuncture as a great option for pain management and relief. If paired with conventional therapeutics and modern medical procedures, acupuncture can be an effective tool for recovery from a variety of conditions.
Myth 3: Acupuncture Has Too Many Risks with Little Benefits
The greatest thing you can expect from acupuncture is pain relief, and not just common aches and pains, but even serious ones. Here are a few health issues that acupuncture can help with:
- Headache and Migraine
- Knee pain, neck pain, and back pain
- Allergies
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Immune system deficiency
- Menstrual cramps
- Skin problems
- Paralysis or numbness
- Constipation or diarrhea
Those are just a few of the conditions that acupuncture can help you recover from—or at least alleviate the symptoms of! The risks and side effects, on the other hand, are very few and insignificant.
Conclusion
Acupuncture has a long history of being used to treat health conditions that complement traditional medicine. Whatever myths and misconceptions you may have heard about the treatment are either false or unsubstantiated. In this day and age, the use of acupuncture for back pain, allergy management, and wound healing is actually highly recommended by professionals.
If you’re looking for an acupuncture clinic in the Vancouver area, go to Sinclair Wellness Center. We provide naturopathic medicine, athletic therapy, and acupuncture treatments to those who require a more natural approach to healing. Contact us today to set an appointment!