What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a very old technique, one that’s most often associated with traditional Chinese medicine, whereby needles are inserted into your skin at specific points in your body (meridians) to rebalance your flow of energy. In today’s medical community, more practitioners are turning to acupuncture to stimulate pressure points that affect your nerves, muscles, and connective tissue to treat pain, among other issues.
The theory behind acupuncture as an effective pain management tool is that it releases stress along critical points in your body, allowing your body’s systems to flow better to promote healing. Many scientists believe that acupuncture causes your body to release endorphins, which are your body’s natural painkillers, and the therapy also affects your serotonin levels, which govern your mood.
What does acupuncture treat?
Dr. Nick turns to acupuncture as a pain management technique for a host of issues, including:
- Headaches
- Low back pain
- General joint pain, such as fibromyalgia
- Neck pain
- Arthritis pain
Outside of pain management, Dr. Nick relies on acupuncture to address a number of other issues, such as:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Smoking cessation
- Infertility
- Hormone imbalances
- Digestive problems
What is an acupuncture treatment like?
During your initial consultation with Dr. Nick, he reviews your issue and explains how acupuncture helps. The treatment itself is painless, and Dr. Nick performs the acupuncture in his office. During your session, Dr. Nick inserts very small needles into your skin in the pressure points, or acupoints, that directly affect your issue.
Typically, Dr. Nick uses between five and 20 needles and leaves them in for 10-30 minutes. During this time, you simply relax. During your treatment, Dr. Nick may spin the needles, or he may just leave them to do their work.
Once the treatment is done, Dr. Nick quickly removes the needles, and you may resume your normal activities.
Is acupuncture safe?
The needles used in acupuncture are extremely small and generally don’t cause any discomfort. You may feel a pinch or a slight ache when the needle reaches the right spot, but these sensations are short-lived.
Dr. Nick has extensive experience using acupuncture, and you can count on him to know where and how to place the needles and to ensure the environment is sterile.
