When you think of acupuncture, what’s the first thing you think of? Almost certainly, it’s needles. It’s true, acupuncture treatment does use super-thin needles. But if that’s all you know about this ancient medical therapy, you owe it to yourself to learn more.
For one thing, acupuncture offers lots of potential benefits. The team at Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness offers this list of nine potential benefits so you can decide if acupuncture might be a therapy that’s worth exploring for your health needs.
Acupuncture is used for many kinds of pain, including back pain, migraine, and chronic pain from osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and other causes. Researchers think pain relief happens when the tiny acupuncture needles cause areas of “controlled injury” that stimulate natural healing responses, like improved circulation and pain modulation.
Roughly 60-70 million Americans suffer from digestive issues, with symptoms like pain, bloating, and nausea. Some conditions also affect your ability to absorb nutrients, resulting in serious deficiencies. Acupuncture can be used for many types of digestive disorders, including gastritis, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome.
More than a third of Americans suffer from insomnia, and without treatment, lack of sleep can take a toll on the rest of your health, too. One way acupuncture may improve sleep is by treating underlying causes of insomnia, like depression, anxiety, and pain. It may also help with sleep apnea and poor quality sleep.
Researchers hypothesize that acupuncture relieves allergies by influencing specific types of cells involved in allergic responses. At the same time, acupuncture may inhibit the immune system overreaction that’s part of the body’s allergic response.
The “controlled damage” that happens during acupuncture may also release “feel-good” hormones that help ease anxiety, while reducing cortisol — a hormone associated with increased stress. One very recent meta-analysis found acupuncture is more effective than many other therapies in treating generalized anxiety disorder, a common type of anxiety.
Migraine affects about 40 million Americans. Data suggest acupuncture may help reduce the frequency of attacks from this debilitating neurological disorder, and what’s more, this non-drug treatment may be at least as effective as migraine medications.
Acupuncture may be helpful in relieving pain and other symptoms of cancer, as well as side effects from many types of cancer treatments. That includes symptoms like nausea and vomiting, peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, dry mouth, anxiety, constipation, and hot flashes.
Most people know menstruation causes cramps, but what many don’t know is that these cramps can be very severe, sometimes accompanied by leg pain, back pain, headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. Data show acupuncture may reduce the intensity of painful symptoms, with effects lasting up to a year.
If you’ve been struggling to lose weight via diet and exercise, acupuncture might give you an “extra push” toward success by reducing your appetite, decreasing feelings of hunger, and lowering stress that often triggers overeating.
Like any therapy, acupuncture offers different benefits and different effects for every individual. Some people find acupuncture works well on its own, while others attain the greatest benefits when it’s combined with other therapies.
Bottom line: Acupuncture offers plenty of benefits for people who favor a holistic approach to care without relying on ever-increasing doses of medicine. To learn how acupuncture fits into your healthy lifestyle, book an appointment online or over the phone at one of our offices in Boonton, Pompton Plains, or Jersey City, New Jersey today.
