What is acupuncture?
“What even is acupuncture” — a common question that I get more frequently than you’d think! Here’s the ‘gist’: it’s a Chinese Medicine tool that has been used for over three thousand years to promote natural healing. It can enhance recuperative power & immunity, support physical & emotional health, and improve overall function & well-being. But how does it work? Well, we use single-use needles that are inserted into different points on the body to stimulate our body’s natural healing response by improving circulation, reducing swelling, and promoting healing. Now that we have the ‘gist’ … let’s dive in a little deeper!
Each acupuncture point interacts with the connective tissue and fascia of the body which sends messages to the brain and alters our brain chemistry. This helps the body to self-regulate, which is why we always say your body is doing the healing. But what exactly is an acupuncture point? It is the meeting point of nerve, lymph, and blood vessels, and twhere the connective tissue can easily be accessed.
Historically, acupuncture, along with Chinese herbal medicine, were used together as the primary form of care – which is how the medicine developed to treat a wide range of conditions. In modern day, we have enough randomized control trials that show acupuncture is affective for over 100 different conditions, and that number keeps rising each year. While we see a wide range of conditions, some of the most common symptoms we treat are stress, pain, sleep issues, and women’s health.
How does acupuncture help with each of those conditions you ask? I’ll tell ya! Acupuncture helps to manage stress by reducing our cortisol levels (which is our stress hormone), and increasing serotonin and dopamine (our happy hormones). It helps manage pain by boosting the body’s production of its natural pain killers, while also generating more blood flow and circulation to the area, which in turn reduces inflammation and speeds up the healing process. It helps with sleep by increasing your body’s natural melatonin to help regulate your circadian rhythm; it also increases the body’s production of GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid) which is a neurotransmitter that helps relax the mind. In regards to women’s health, it balances hormone levels to bring menstrual cycles into balance, and aids women through all stages of their hormonal health – including PMS, fertility, and menopause.
The final, and probably most popular question… does acupuncture hurt??? I’ll keep it simple — it’s not supposed to! The needles are as thin as a dog’s whisker; they are completely solid and sterile, and single use. The needle does puncture through the skin so you can feel a slight pinch that should dissipate in a second or two. If it doesn’t, we always adjust to make sure you’re comfortable. When the needle is in the point, some common sensations you can feel are pressure, heaviness, warmth, electricity, a muscle twitch, and an energetic surge. All are completely normal, but you can also feel nothing at all! Everyone’s sensitivity is different – we work with you to make sure you’re the most comfortable you can be and can fully relax on the table to let the needles (and your body) do it’s thing!
More questions? Give me a call! xo
