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Back pain is one of the most expensive and exhausting ailments of our time. It’s the 6th most costly condition in the United States, costing Americans at least 50 billion in health care costs each year (let alone the cost of missed work due to disability). [1] It is the third most common reason for a visit to the doctor’s office (behind skin disorders and osteoarthritis joint issues).[2] For Acupuncturists, it is the #1 reason people show up at their door. [3]
So, does it really work? For those that turn to acupuncture, they can rest assured they are increasing their odds of finding relief. Acupuncture has been found to be effective for chronic pain, including low back pain. Not only is acupuncture more clinically effective than no treatment at short-term follow-ups that looked at measures of pain relief and functional improvement [4]acupuncture was found to be substantially better than standard care in a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that included around 20,000 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.[5]
Acupuncture is also safe. In a cumulative review of more than 1 million acupuncture treatments, the risk of a serious adverse event with acupuncture was estimated to be 0.05 per 10,000 treatments and 0.55 per 10,000 individual patients. The most common side effects were minor and included bleeding at the needle site and localized needling pain.[6]
So how does sticking needles at the various points in the body help to alleviate back pain? The explanation according to Acupuncture theory involves the movement of stuck energy (qi) and blood in the body. Points along various energy channels are used to open pathways and redirect ‘traffic’ to promote a healthy flow of qi and blood. Western biomedical research looks at acupuncture’s effects on the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. It has been shown that the stimulation with acupuncture needles produces an analgesic effect through the release of endorphins, dopamine, endogenous cannabinoids (some of the body’s natural painkillers), and anti-inflammatory substances as well as the inhibition of pro-inflammatory factors.[7]
And does it last? The beneficial effects of acupuncture do, in fact. persist beyond the course of treatment. In a meta-analysis of around 18,000 patients with chronic pain, 90% of the pain-relieving effects were maintained at 1 year out. [8]
As far as cost-effectiveness, acupuncture scores again. In one study in Canada, low back pain patients divided into 2 groups (201 patients receiving acupuncture and 804 patients not receiving acupuncture) were evaluated for the number of medical doctor visits required for treatment of their low back pain. The acupuncture patients saw their doctors 49% less after having acupuncture compared with the year prior to having acupuncture. Non-acupuncture patients had a decrease of only 2%. [9] The WHO officially classifies acupuncture as a cost-effective treatment strategy in patients with chronic low back pain, according to their cost-effectiveness threshold values. [10]
Back pain, as many of us have experienced, can be an expensive threat to our quality of life. Depending on the cause and severity of the back pain, acupuncture can be a safe and cost-effective alternative or complementary approach to treatment, providing much-needed relief!
If you are one of the many people suffering from back pain, don’t hesitate to get in for some pain-relieving acupuncture sessions. Call us today to schedule an appointment! The sooner you get in, the sooner you’ll experience the benefits!
[1] https://hpi.georgetown.edu/backpain/
[2] https://handsdownbetter.org/health-and-wellness/back-pain-facts-and-statistics/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830903/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4364128/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913801/#B12
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15551936/
[7] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/2326867/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913801/#B14
[9] https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/619-acupunctureceuslowbackpaincalgaryalberta
[10] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24138020/
Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is practiced in many different forms which include herbal remedies, cupping, and massage, which have all been used for thousands of years. The basis of TCM is the idea of qi, the body’s vital energy.
TCM treatments promote the movement of qi throughout the body in order to help bring balance back to the body. The goal of acupuncture is to correct this imbalance which can cause a variety of ailments and conditions that you may currently have.
Acupuncture uses very thin needles (which have been compared to being as small as cat whiskers) that stimulate pressure points and other areas of your body. It stimulates qi by placing needles in specific spots, often along meridians. Meridians are the channels that Qi travels in the body.
Acupuncture can help with many health conditions, including:
Below are the top five ways that acupuncture can help
1. Relieves Pain
Acupuncture can help alleviate many types of pain that may range from headaches and migraines to neck and back pain. These studies have shown its effectiveness in treating lower back pain, migraines, tension headaches, and knee pain. Acupuncture works differently for everybody. For some, a single treatment can alleviate symptoms for several months while others need a more routine treatment schedule.
2. Improved Sleep
Another thing that Acupuncture can help improve is sleep and insomnia. Scientists believe that acupuncture increases the production of brain chemicals that promote relaxation, thus allowing for better sleep.
3. Uplift Mood
Acupuncture can help with improving mood, including helping with depression, stress, and anxiety. The needles from acupuncture treatment release endorphins in the body. Endorphins are hormones that provide a boost in mood, encouraging happiness and relaxation.
4. Help the Heart
Acupuncture is also good for your heart due to the relaxation and stress reduction that one achieves from the treatments, which are also known to reduce blood pressure. Stress and high blood pressure are commonly related to heart attacks and heart disease.
5. Support the Immune System
Research has shown that acupuncture can boost immune system function. The placement of acupuncture needles can release immune-boosting cytokines. Cytokines are messenger cells that regulate the body’s immune response. By triggering the immune system, acupuncture can help fight infections or illnesses like colds and the flu.
While this is not an exhaustive list of how acupuncture can help, if you deal with any of the above symptoms or think that acupuncture may be right for you- schedule an appointment with us! We’d be happy to support you in achieving your health care goals!
Statistics show that almost 8 out of 10 people will experience low back pain at some point during their life, and many of them will be seeking medical treatment for back pain. In some instances, back pain can be fleeting and can be resolved with rest, heat, and an occasional anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen.
However, once the damage is done, the recurrence of back pain becomes more common. One reason for this is when we age, our muscles and tendons become less flexible and pliable. It is also very well known that in the United States, people are too sedentary with their lifestyles, and being this way leads to excess weight gain that can create added pressure on the body, especially the lower back.
Massage can be a very important tool for relieving back pain and can be used proactively to prevent backaches. Let’s look at some ways that massage can help with back pain.
Hot stone massage is a form of massage that allows the massage therapist to utilize smooth, flat, heated stones. The stones are used to warm up tight muscles and relax them. This gives the massage therapist the ability to work on other parts of the body. They are placed on specific pressure points. As the areas are warmed and relaxed, it then allows the therapist to apply deeper pressure without discomfort.
Tuina (pronounced “twee na”) is a form of Chinese massage often used in conjunction with acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicine modalities to help the body heal itself and maintain balance. There are many different techniques utilized in tuina, including gliding, shaking, pulling, tapping, kneading, rolling, and pressing. Tuina combines massage and acupressure to remove blockages in the body, thus leading to improved health and well-being.
Acupressure points can be helpful for relieving back pain. Here are just a couple of the most common:
Gallbladder 34 – This point is found bilaterally on the outer side of the lower leg. It can be found in the depression that is in front of and below the head of the fibula. This point is known as the influential point of the tendons.
Urinary Bladder 40 – This point is located bilaterally on the crease behind the knee, right in the center, directly behind the knee cap. This point helps relieve pain along the spine. It is helpful for relieving muscle spasms and reducing pain associated with sciatic nerve involvement, which stems from the low back.
Self-massage is another great way to relieve back pain. Many people hold their stress in their upper or lower back, which leads to tight muscles, muscle spasms, and even headaches. By gently massaging the muscles along the spine, back pain can be greatly reduced. Adding heat before and after a massage will help to keep the muscles loose with less chance of spasming.
Regardless of how you choose to deal with your back pain, consider incorporating massage or tuina, into your healing regime. Regular treatments can keep muscles from tensing up, increase circulation, improve posture, and strengthen the back to reduce future problems.
Ask me how we can help your lower back pain so you can take back control of your life. Let’s schedule an appointment today!
Master Lu’s Health Center is the premier center for acupuncture and Chinese medicine in Salt Lake City. We treat many different pain conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, arthritis, knee, and shoulder pain. Acupuncture has shown to be effective to treat pain and improve your health and wellness.
Here is a short video clip about how acupuncture helps with pain, and how it works. If you have pain please contact us at Master Lu’s Health Center anytime to schedule an appointment.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine. It has an over 3000 year old history to diagnose and treat disease. It is a systematical and scientific form of medicine and healing. Over the years acupuncture has gained popularity in western countries. Most people who seek out acupuncture has been for pain conditions such as low back and neck pain. However, because acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a complete medical system for diagnosing and treating disease, it can help you with many other health conditions besides pain.
Recently, the Acupuncture Now Foundation in collaboration with several other organizations put together a white paper that has shows the current research on many health conditions that acupuncture is effective for.
The white paper also goes through in depth how acupuncture works according to western medical terms. Summarizing the paper acupuncture will act on the nervous system of the body. It will act on the brain and release your body’s natural opioids, chemicals, and hormones such as endorphins, seratonin, and dopamine. Research has shown that acupuncture will release seratonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The releasing of these natural substances within the body will allow your body to self heal. Click on this link for the Acupuncture Now Foundation Whitepaper for an in depth discussion on how acupuncture works.
There are many conditions that acupuncture is good for. Pain has been the most common one. Here at Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City, we will use acupuncture and Chinese medicine to treat low back pain, neck pain, knee pain, and joint pain. Acupuncture is very effective for pain. The acupuncture now foundation in their white paper has shown that acupuncture can be effective for internal diseases such as depression and fertility.
The World Health Organization through research has determined that acupuncture is effective for the following conditions:
As you can see acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be used for more than just pain. Some of the common health conditions that we have treated in our clinic in Salt Lake clinic include stroke rehabilitation, high blood pressure, infertility, diabetes, MS, dizziness, eye disorders, side effects from chemotherapy, depression, emotional disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders. There are many other health conditions that doesn’t even have a western term for or the physicians don’t know what it is that we treat as well.
Chinese medicine is a powerful and effective medicine that will help you heal your body and improve your health naturally.
If you feel that you suffer from a health condition and don’t want to take many medications please give us a call to see how we can help you regain your health.
