You may have heard that acupuncture is great for pain relief, but why exactly is this true? Whether it’s migraines, headaches, musculoskeletal pain or menstrual pain, acupuncture helps quiet the noise of pain so your body can focus on healing.
When pain lingers, it doesn’t always mean that an injury is still present- sometimes your body’s signals are stuck on repeat. Acupuncture can help to hit the “reset” button. Through a combination of time-tested tradition and modern science, we now understand that acupuncture does more than ease symptoms – it helps the body create its own pathways back to balance.
Research shows that acupuncture encourages the release of your body’s natural pain-relief chemicals, like endorphins in the brain and adenosine in the tissues, while also calming the overactive nervous system pathways that keep pain “turned up.”
What does the Research Show?
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Broad Relief Across Conditions – In a large review involving more than 20,000 patients, acupuncture was found to be more effective than both standard care and sham treatments for common conditions like back and neck pain, arthritis, and headaches.
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Measurable Changes in the Body – Studies demonstrate that acupuncture can enhance opioid receptor activity in the brain and increase adenosine levels at the site of treatment, both linked to meaningful reductions in pain.
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Long-Lasting Benefits – Strong evidence supports acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis, migraines, and chronic low back pain – with improvements that often continue months beyond the course of treatment.
How Does This Work From an East Asian Medicine Perspective?
In East Asian Medicine there is a famous phrase from the classical text Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) that
“If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there is free flow, there is no pain” (also expressed as “Tong Zhi Bu Tong, Bu Tong Zhi Tong”)
This phrase illustrates that qi or blood obstruction and stagnation leads to pain, and when we find a way to alleviate the obstruction, the pain will be alleviated. This is often accomplished through acupuncture, cupping, heat therapy including moxibustion, manual massage but also can involve stress reduction practices and dietary modifications.
If you’ve been looking for a way to manage pain that is comparatively free of side effects, safe and well studied, acupuncture may be a good fit.
If you have questions, reach out to schedule a quick phone call or an initial session to learn more.