Acupuncture and Pain
So many people are plagued with
pain. According to a national survey, more than one-quarter of adults in the
U.S. experience pain lasting more than a day. It is the number one reason
Americans seek medical care. It is also one of the leading causes of
disability, and billions of dollars per year are spent on associated costs to
control it. It reportedly affects more Americans than the "major
three" - diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease - combined.
Most people complain that they hurt
so badly, they feel there's no choice but to take pain medications. Most don't
want to. They don't like feeling groggy, irritable and drugged-up. They don't
like the side effects, nor the possibility for addiction, but what else is
there to do?
Acupuncture. Acupuncture has been
around for thousands of years because it works. According to the National
Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM), acupuncture is used for a variety of types of pain - back,
joint, neck pain and headache or migraine being the most common.
But it works for many other areas of
pain, as well. Sciatica, shingles, Tic Douloureux (aka Trigeminal Neuralgia),
peripheral neuralgia (many types of neuralgia), knee pain, tennis elbow,
sprains and strains. The list of types of pain that acupuncture has been
effective in alleviating is much more extensive than just that.
Arthritis, osteo-arthritis and
rheumatoid arthritis are commonly treated by acupuncture. Fibromyalgia, carpal
tunnel, many kinds of facial pain, and even menstrual pain and cramps,
post-operative dental pain and pain following any kind of surgery commonly
utilize acupuncture to control or resolve pain.
According to the 2007 National
Health Interview Survey, an estimated 3.1 million Americans used acupuncture
within that year. They found that seven of the 10 reasons people sought
acupuncture was for pain.
Acupuncture, though commonly used
for musculo-skeletal types of pain, is also used for internal types of pain.
Examples involve the digestive system: Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis,
IBS, and pain from heartburn or reflux. They are naturally responsive to
acupuncture, as well.
People are frequently worried about
trying acupuncture because they are afraid that it might be...well...painful!
The most common response I get when people finally decide they've had enough,
that the pain is affecting their lives too much and they finally try
acupuncture, is, "Oh my gosh! If I had any idea how painless this was, I
would have been here eons ago!"
Acupuncture has withstood the test
of time. Its effectiveness now is no different than it was a few thousand years
ago. Except a thousand years ago with the ancient needles they used - well,
just be glad we only use hair-thin ones today!
Acupuncture for pain? You bet! It is
one of the most effective ways to eliminate pain, whatever the source.
The source of this article is here.
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