Station Square is found in Burnaby’s Metrotown neighborhood. South of it is a SkyTrain station, west of it is McKay Avenue, and north of it is Kingsway. Station Square is regarded as the most successful real estate development in Western Canada.
There are many businesses operating in Station Square, including acupuncture centers, massage therapy centers, chiropractic clinics, etc. These complementary treatments help individuals to alleviate pain as well as treat other complaints.
You can check out Physio Collective to find out more information about these complementary treatment centers. Of the treatments we just listed, acupuncture still leaves many confused as to how it works.
Therefore, in this post, we will discuss how acupuncture may work to relieve pain. We’ll also discuss its benefits, uses, and risks. Let’s jump right in…
What Acupuncture Is
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice where needles are inserted into a person’s body. The target is to stimulate the sensory nerves found in the muscles and skin. This is done to help treat and relieve chronic pain as well as other body conditions. Acupuncture is globally recognized as a complementary treatment.
How It Works
Experts in this field believe that a person’s good health and general well-being are determined by the harmonious balance of the Qi (pronounced “chi”) life force extremes called yin and yang. In other words, a person gets sick when the yin and yang are not balanced.
Practitioners say that this life force (Qi) passes through the body’s pathways, or meridians. These pathways, or meridians, can be accessed through the body’s 361 acupuncture points.
This is why needles are inserted into these acupuncture points in different combinations to restore balance. It has been suggested by researchers that these points are located at simulation sites called receptive fields. These sites, when stimulated, can influence the activities of sensory neurons.
As a result, the insertion of needles to stimulate these receptive fields may influence the body’s muscles and central nervous system pain processing ability. You can read this article to learn about the anatomy and physiology of pain. Furthermore, this action can increase the flow of blood to certain body parts.
Studies have revealed that contemporary treatment indeed has a positive impact on chronic pain. What this means is that the treatment can alleviate pain, and it is not a placebo. Nevertheless, the exact working mechanism that brings about these results remains unclear. Researchers are still working on figuring this out.
Benefits
While acupuncture might look terrifying when you see it being done, the truth is it’s not as bad as it looks. When performed by an experienced acupuncturist, you won’t feel anything, and if you do, it won’t be more than a light prick on your skin. Except if you have trypanophobia (intense fear of needles), nothing is stopping you from enjoying the following acupuncture benefits:
- It helps you manage headaches, migraine, and chronic pain.
- It alleviates pain without side effects.
- You get to treat multiple health conditions at once.
- Unlike most conventional treatments, you can combine this with other medical treatments. However, it’s not advisable to replace conventional treatments with this complementary treatment.
Uses
This complementary treatment is used to primarily alleviate pain. However, it can be used to treat specific issues. According to the NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) and other studies, the following are the uses of this complementary treatment:
- Headache
- knee pain
- osteoarthritis (OA)
- low back pain
- Fatigue
- neck pain
- migraine
- nausea
- peripheral neuropathy
- rheumatoid arthritis
- tendinopathy
Risks
Just like any other therapy, there are risks involved with this one. We recommend you consult a medical professional for advice before you go ahead with this therapy. You can visit https://dlsii.com/ to learn more about the different types of medical therapy that exist. If you do go ahead; and you should except there’s a medical condition that prevents you from doing so, here are the possible risks you might face:
- Infection caused by unsterilized needles.
- Possible soreness, bruising, and bleeding at insertion points.
- Needle breaking in your skin in rare cases could lead to internal organ damage.
Acupuncture needles are categorized as medical devices. Therefore, they are expected to meet certain regulatory standards. They must be non-toxic, and sterile, and a licensed practitioner must label them as “for one use only.”
Conclusion
Acupuncture originated in China and is globally recognized as a complementary treatment. The practice involves the insertion of needles into specific points in the body to stimulate the neural network. According to studies, this therapy can assist in chronic pain management and treatment of other health conditions.
While it has a lot of uses and benefits, its risk level is low and side effects are non-existent. However, the therapy must be performed by a licensed practitioner. Furthermore, the needles used must meet certain regulatory standards.
