Is acupuncture for back pain real? Interestingly, whether it is fake or genuine, it can actually work in relieving back pain. Researchers from Germany revealed that the human body may actually react to the stimulus presented by needle pricks, specifically the ultra-thin needles used for acupuncture. Researchers believe that it may either be due to placebo effect or that the pain messages that travel through the nerves are actually blocked by other similar stimuli. In the study, patients reported a reduction in pain and improvement in mobility.
Acupuncture is one of the main branches of traditional Chinese medicine and still commonly recommended for relieving pain, including those caused by inflammatory arthritis and as a tennis elbow treatment. It is also used to help alleviate nervousness and stress.
The actual mechanism that makes acupuncture for back pain work is not clear. Its practitioners believe that acupuncture helps restore the smooth flow of mine, an unseen form of energy that flows throughout the body. When this flow is interrupted or blocked, it results to illness. To restore good health, the fine acupuncture needles are inserted at specific points or 'meridians' in the body that correspond to a particular organ or body part.
In the case of back pain, for example, about 20 needles are used to target specific areas until the patient feels a localized numbing sensation. Sessions are repeated until satisfactory results are achieved. In the aforementioned study, patients experienced improved mobility and pain relief after several weeks of treatment.
Acupuncture is not a cure-all, although it has shown to work in many patients suffering from ailments as varied as inflammatory arthritis, headaches and cramps. It can also be used to complement conventional treatments and therapies. Someone on a lupus diet, for example, may use acupuncture in conjunction with prescribed drugs and treatments. Or someone looking for a tennis elbow treatment may also combine acupuncture with more conventional physical therapy sessions. The key to ensuring safety is seeking treatment only from a trained and licensed acupuncturist and having sufficient understanding about how the treatment works and what its limitations are.
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