Acupuncture for Aches and Pains
We encounter aches and pains throughout our lives due to different factors. These factors range from sports to on-site construction work. The most common pain-related issue I have come across is lower back and neck pain. The current remedies for such problems have been things like pain killers, cortisone injections, and the R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) protocol. However, acupuncture and herbal medicine have much more to offer in terms of pain relief.
Acupuncture helps treat muscle and joint pain by influencing the body’s natural pain killers known as endorphins and reduce inflammation once needles are inserted into different key points that lie along pathways that run through the body. Once the needles are inserted into the areas that are in pain, the needles are manipulated either manually or with electric-stimulation to reduce inflammation and eliminate stagnant proteins within the muscles that lead to aches and pains. Other adjunctive techniques with acupuncture are moxibustion, cupping, and tui na (Chinese medical massage).
Moxibustion is the burning of an herb called ‘mugwort’ onto different points along the body. Once the mugwort is burnt 2/3’s before it reaches the skin, the heat emitted from the burning mugwort penetrates deep into the pathways, connective tissue, and muscles. The heat increases blood flow and relieves pain by causing a dispersive effect into the painful areas of the body. In essence, it helps increase the effects of one’s acupuncture treatment by causing a natural reorganization of the body into its normal components.
The next adjunctive technique that is used with one’s acupuncture treatment for pain relief is cupping. Cupping is a technique where a heat vacuum is created along the skin with the use of glass jars. By doing this, stagnant blood, fluids and lymph are pulled up into the surface of the skin which are blocking normal circulation into the muscles and joints.
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Lastly is tui na (Chinese medical massage). It is a form of massage that helps not only helps to relieve pain but also seeks to bring about structural alignment. The way I would describe this massage style would be a combination of deep-tissue massage, physical therapy, and chiropractic rolled into one.
In conjunction with acupuncture and its adjunctive techniques, I also incorporate herbal medicine to aid in ones current treatment. There different herbal formulas that help with treating pain are liniments for external application such as Die Da Jiu (”Hit Fall Wine”) which contain herbs that are used in relieving pain resulting in muscle strains and sprains, and muscle pulls. These herbs act on relieving these problems because of their anti-inflammatory and circulation promoting properties. It is a lot more effective than using ice for injuries because even though ice relieves pain by numbing the pain receptors, it slows down the flow of blood to the injured area thus causing a condition known as blood stasis which results in sharp-stabbing pain after an injury has subsided.
When an injury is not taken care of it leads to other problems that Western medical doctors would not think of otherwise. For example, let us say we are in pain because of a traumatic accident resulting in shoulder pain. The pain is relieved with pain killers and other conventional methods. Over time, the pain comes and goes but the concussive force remains, therefore leading to impeded blood flow to the connective tissues and muscles. In a great amount of time, impeded blood flow in this case leads to lack of oxygen to the surrounding tissues, which is known as ischemia. Ischemia leads to another process known as cell death, because no oxygenated blood is going to the tissues. Eventually, the severity of cell death turns into necrosis because cell death has now spread into other tissues surrounding those affected by the concussive force. Over time, the surrounding necrotized tissues go into a cellular process known as cytotoxicity, which is much more severe than necrosis. Toxins build up in the surrounding and localized muscle tissue, which later leads to cancer, which spreads into tissues. In conclusion, I would highly recommend acupuncture and herbal medicine for the treatment of injuries related to on-site construction among many other factors. It is not only helps with treating the problem, but it also helps with preventing other health problems associated with those injuries.
