Acupuncture and Pain Relief

When acupuncture was introduced in the U.S., it was effective in relieving pain, which attracted public attention. In 1972, when the New York Times reporter James Reston had acupuncture treatment for pain relief after surgery, he was so impressed with the results he wrote of acupuncture on his return to America.
Although the efficacy of acupuncture in China is a reliable for thousands of years, is only the last 40-50 years that acupuncture has been practiced and accepted in the West. Two recent studies from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDN) have highlighted the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment of pain in patients. Based on the results of this experiment in Heidelberg, more patients who received acupuncture treatment more pain relief than patients receiving placebo. The study was carried out UMDN, patients received an external stimulus, the pain when receiving acupuncture for pain relief.

During this period, patients were asked to rate their pain level. When receiving an acupuncture treatment, patients have less pain from external stimulation and MRI results showed that the reduction in activity in brain areas that respond to pain. Experience shows that when UMDNS acupuncture is performed, the brain's response to pain is also reduced. This result agrees with the belief that acupuncture, when done properly, has the ability to effectively control and reduce pain by stimulating endorphins, the body's natural chemicals that block pain.

Many of the acupoints are located close to the nerves. When certain muscles are stimulated with acupuncture needles, the muscle to send a message to the central nervous system, causing the release of endorphins. These endorphins block pain messages sent to the brain.

Acupuncture has proven effective in treating many types of pain. Acupuncture is effective in treating chronic pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, lower back, neck and muscle pain. In addition, acupuncture is effective in treating arthritis, facial pain, pain and cancer pain after the operation.

United States, one in four adults report to be suffering from some kind of pain more than a day. Although there are many drugs for pain relief, these drugs also have side effects. Acupuncture is becoming more reliable alternative medicine to relieve pain and, unlike conventional medicine, it does little to no side effects. Over 3 million people each year receive acupuncture treatment in the United States demonstrates the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for pain management.