Acupuncture for Pain
Pain comes in many forms. Dull, achy, sharp, stabbing, burning. Whether acute or chronic, all types of pain hurt, sometimes to the point of incapacitation. This can then sometimes lead to other issues, including depression. Most seek medications, injections, even surgeries, which only provide a band-aid to what's really at the root of the pain. And unfortunately for some, these medications can become an addiction. And so the cycle begins.
According to the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, 100 million Americans (about one in every three people) suffer from pain that lasts longer than weeks, months or even years.[1]
And the cost of medications and surgical procedures can be astounding. Johns Hopkins University health economists report in The Journal of Pain that the annual cost of chronic pain is as high as $635 billion a year, which is more than the yearly costs for cancer, heart disease and diabetes.[2]
Acupuncture, a non-invasive Eastern Medicine modality, is a very effective and economical alternative to Western medicine and its costly procedures. Depending on the diagnosis, the needling of meridian points or trigger and motor points is used along with electrical stimulation, cupping, gwa sha or tui na massage. This combination can decrease pain (and sometimes eliminate it altogether), sometimes in just one treatment. Whether you're experiencing a sprained ankle, pulled back, rotator cuff tears, neuralgia, even headache or arthritis, you can make the choice to relieve the pain naturally and get back to your life again without the potential side effects of medications.
[1] Institute of Medicine Report from the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education: Relieving Pain in America, A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. The National Academies Press, 2011.
[2] American Pain Society. "Chronic pain costs U.S. up to $635 billion, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 September 2012.