Most Common Illnesses Acupuncture Can Treat

Acupuncture is often “the last resort” in the treatment of common illnesses. In our clinic it is often the “Last Resort with the Best Result.” When standard care is not able to help the person with their pain, or they do not “want to keep taking another drug” people often look for alternative therapies to help. It is unfortunate that acupuncture is not recommended first because, in comparison to surgery and prescription painkillers, acupuncture is virtually painless, side-effect free, and imposes zero additional recovery time on the patient after each treatment session is completed.

When people do eventually come to acupuncture, they find it to be as, or more effective than other treatments they have tried so far with the added bonus of having long-term symptom relief and often resolution of symptoms. This is especially true for the treatment of chronic pain, inflammatory disorders, addiction, and more.

Acupuncture in Pain Management

Where this treatment modality shines is in managing pain. Acupuncture alters the way the nervous system functions, by allowing it to send fewer unnecessary pain signals to the brain. It does this by tapping into the ability of the brain and the nervous system as a whole to manage pain in healthy ways.

Acupuncture has been found to aid in nerve function and speed healing in pain conditions because of how it affects the brain and pain signaling.

Common Types of Painful Illnesses That are Successfully Treated Using Acupuncture

You will find that the types of pain acupuncture is best at treating are the ones that are caused by a disproportionate response of the body to injury or illness. Inflammation, for example, is what happens when the body responds to a perceived threat. But that response can be harmful if it is not properly regulated.

Digestive Disorders

Damage to the gut lining and irritants in the digestive system will trigger an immune response, and causes obvious pain. Conditions like IBS result when the body cannot properly mount a well-regulated response. Acupuncture can reduce unhelpful levels of swelling in the gut. Thus, at our clinic we always recommend acupuncture as a part of our Leaky Gut and IBS programs because of acupuncture’s ability to regulate and help heal the gut lining and inflammation.

Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat (EENT) Disorders

As with digestive disorders, allergies result when an irritant is ever-present, and the body,  again, mounts a poorly regulated response. Acupuncture is well suited for this type of problem. We commonly help people with seasonal allergy symptoms (dry, itchy eyes), ear pain, tinnitus, throat pain, frequent viral infections, and sinus congestion. In regards to EENT disorders, our integrated approach to care is extremely important as acupuncture, proper nutrition, and specific supplements can help to curb the allergy response as well as aid in healing.

Immune Disorders

Sometimes, hyperactive immune responses are so strong that the body’s defense systems begin to attack the body itself. Immune disorders can be devastating and sometimes painful. At Starting Point Acupuncture, we commonly see people with Celiac disease, thyroid disorders, SLE, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and many more autoimmune diseases

Read more here on Celiac disease

Read more here on how we can help with Rheumatoid arthritis

Read Dr. Heintze’s previous post on thyroid disorders and acupuncture

Musculoskeletal And Neurological Disorders

At some point in life, everyone experiences pain caused by a musculoskeletal and/or neurological disorder. These can be caused by poor posture, injury, illness, and age. Acupuncture can help the body to refrain from delivering manic pain signals while the patient strives to heal.

At Starting Point Acupuncture in Bothell, WA, we specialize in the treatment of chronic hard to treat cases. If you would like to learn how we can help, give our office a call today at (425) 686-4498.

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29794793/