HEAL
Six things you didn't know acupuncture can treat
Acupuncture can
help ease pain, but did you know it can be effective for other health issues,
like allergies, anxiety and depression?
Check out these six
conditions that acupuncture can treat:
- Seasonal allergies
One well-researched effect of acupuncture is reducing inflammation
throughout the body. Acupuncture stimulates chemicals that reduce swelling and
quiet unwanted immune responses and allergic reactions. Acupuncture also helps strengthen
the digestive system, which can be a source of unrecognized inflammation,
making allergies worse. With just a few weeks of regular treatment, acupuncture
can help eliminate the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
- Digestive complaints
Gas, bloating, constipation or
bowel changes are signs that there is something wrong in your digestive system.
Acupuncture is known to regulate digestive function. In fact, there is an
entire school of thought in Chinese medicine that treats the digestive system
for any illness, based on the belief that when the gut functions properly, the
entire system can maintain its balance.
- Sciatic pain
Sciatica is a terribly painful
disorder caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve—a very long nerve
that begins in the low back and branches down into each leg, continuing all the
way to the feet. Those who experience it know sciatic pain is challenging to
calm with over-the-counter medication. The pain can be felt anywhere along the
nerve and keep you from enjoying daily life. Acupuncture can be incredibly
useful in treating sciatic pain. I have seen a patient pain-free for the first
time in years after only a few acupuncture sessions. It is definitely worth a
try.
- Insomnia
Insomnia can come in many forms. Some people have difficulty falling asleep
while others feel tired only to find that as soon as they lie down, their
brains become active. Others have no trouble falling asleep, but wake up during
the night—usually between 2-3 a.m.—and have trouble going back to sleep. Some
people struggle with both falling and staying asleep. Properly placed
acupuncture needles coupled with herbal medicine can be life changing for
people who need to get more ZZZs.
- Anxiety, stress and depression
Maintaining a stable emotional state
can be difficult, and for those people who all-too-often feel unsettled,
acupuncture can help balance and regulate emotions. It stimulates the part of your nervous system that promotes a
calm state of being. It can help you feel settled, grounded and positive. It
also relaxes the brain and muscles, which reduces stress throughout the body.
- KIDS!
Many parents don't feel they have options other than antibiotics or over-the-counter drugs for common ailments like viral ear infections, eczema,
constipation, colic, sleep disorders, allergies and behavioral issues. That's
where Eastern medicine can come in. Chinese medicine, which has been safely treating
children and adolescents for thousands of years, offers herbal medicine, acupuncture
and non-needle techniques, such as pediatric massage, tuina and shoni shin, as
natural options to complement Western medicine for our littlest patients.
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