Acupuncture

Acupuncture is now a well-researched and widely utilized intervention for acute and chronic pain.  It is the best of ancient wisdom meets modern medicine.  We believe all good chronic pain clinics should incorporate this modality into their treatment protocol – we certainly do.

Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for everything from headache and migraine to cancer pain, nerve pain, acute sprains and strains.  It is a safe and relatively painless chronic pain relieving option which offers a powerful alternative to the strong pharmacy that some patients find themselves on for pain; without worrisome side effects.  Importantly, the evidence suggests Acupuncture is more effective when utilised as part of a whole treatment approach rather than a stand-alone treatment, and for this reason we advocate it as an integral part of our headache and migraine and chronic pain treatment.

In fact, Acupuncture taps into the body’s own pharmacy cabinet in a way.  It effects locally in the tissues and powerfully in the peripheral and central nervous system – including the brain, spinal cord and brainstem, releasing powerful pain relieving chemicals into the blood and nervous system to TURN DOWN the volume on pain and TURN UP the body’s ability to deal with pain (the inhibitory mechanisms).

We often summarize to our patients that it works in 4 primary ways for chronic pain and migraine relief:

1. Stimulates local blood flow and healing cells.
2. Release of local muscle spasm, local pain and pain emitting trigger points.
3. Releases a flood of good pharmacy from your own body (endogenous opioid like chemicals and other goodies) including documented big hitters like Oxytocin, Enkephalin, Noradrenalin, B-Endorphins and more.
4. Stimulates the release and up-regulation (“turning up”) of Serotonin and the DNIC (Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls) system – both have been shown to be reduced (“turned down”) in their inhibitory effect in the nervous system and brainstem in patients with chronic pain, depression and migraine! (ie. Acupuncture can turn these back ON and UP without drugs)

This is good news for migraine and chronic pain sufferers!  When acupuncture forms part of an evidence-based combined therapy approach it is amazingly powerful at rebooting the computer (the nervous system) and de-sensitizing the nerves locally and centrally.

Ask one of our team to learn more about how Acupuncture may be able to help you!