How Can Acupuncture Relieve Pain?

Woman getting an acupuncture

There are many things that come to mind when you think about relieving pain, but sticking needles in yourself probably isn’t on your mind. However, the power of acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and many people that have gone through the therapy swear that it is one of the best ways to relieve chronic pain. There are many fields of science that have studied it and why it is helpful in many ways, not only to include pain relief but also to relieve stress and potentially boosting the immune system.

What Can It With?

Acupuncture can help with many things, from stress relief to reducing anxiety, pain relief and even insomnia. People have used it to attempt to cure many ailments throughout the years, and even though there is not much scientific evidence for some severe cases, such as terminal conditions, the people that have done it with these conditions claim that it was helpful in at least some areas of their life. Regardless of if acupuncture is a cure-all solution, it can help you achieve some feeling of balance in your life and make you feel better almost immediately after your therapy session is over.

Some people don’t experience relief right away from acupuncture, and you will likely need to attend multiple sessions over the course of a few weeks or months to feel any sort of results. Not everybody responds the same to acupuncture, and you might even feel a little bit tired after a session. Regardless, eventually, you will begin to feel better after your sessions and will likely look forward to your next session once you start getting used to it.

Where to Find an Acupuncturist?

Acupuncturists can be find in many places scattered throughout the world. If you have a friend that has gone to therapy, then ask them for a referral and they should be happy to give their acupuncturist’s information to you. If you don’t have a friend that has received acupuncture treatment, then start your search by going online and trying to find a centre near you. If you can’t find any information on acupuncturists in your area, then ask your doctor to see if they know of anybody that specialises in this type of therapy and see if they have a recommendation for you.

Alternatives

Acupunturist hand with acupuncture needle in the back of a woman

If you can’t find an acupuncturist in your area, then there are still ways that you can relieve some of the pain on your own using acupuncture techniques. It definitely isn’t recommended to attempt to do it without the proper training, and you should avoid putting needles in your body unless you are a trained professional. There are areas of your body that you can put pressure on and massage that will release hormones and can calm your body down.

To relieve a headache, you can press on the muscle that is located between your thumb and index fingers. This pressure point can also be used to relieve stress from toothaches, neck pain, facial pain and can even induce labour if you are pregnant.

To help yourself fall asleep, you can rub the spot between your eyebrows in circular motions, first going clockwise and then going counter-clockwise.

Acupuncture is a method that has been tried for thousands of years, and if your pain is strong enough, and you don’t want to take an abundance of medicine to attempt to relieve it, then give it a try. Your first session might not cure you, and you will likely feel uncomfortable the first time you do it, but over time you will start seeing positive results.