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Acupuncture
What is it?
Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine that can be traced back at least 2,500 years. It's widely thought of as a non-traditional form of medicine (not traditionally a part of Western medicine.) Whether or not you believe in acupuncture's general premise of "qi," or life force energy, and its patterns of flow throughout the body, there appear to be several commonly accepted benefits from treatment.
Acupuncturists insert very thin needles into target areas of the body to provide various physical and psychological benefits. Some areas of the body are considered concentrated "micro systems" and an acupuncturist may concentrate only on that area, even if the painful area is a broader area of the body.
How can it help?
The mechanisms of acupuncture have not been solidly proven, but treatment appears to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord.) During the course of acupuncture, it is thought that this stimulation helps release specific chemicals into the body, affecting back and neck pain both physically and psychologically. Specifically, acupuncture is thought to have a positive effect by releasing opioid peptides (natural analgesic brain chemicals); altering the secretion of neurotransmitters and neurohormones (chemicals that play a role in the sensation of pain); positively affecting the immune functions of the body; and increasing the flow of endorphins (the body's natural painkillers.)
While there is no true consensus in the Western medical field about the effectiveness or extent of benefits of acupuncture treatment, many physicians attribute scientific and biological benefits to the procedure and recommend acupuncture as one element of a broader treatment plan for reducing or managing back or neck pain.
What can I expect?
Patients don't always experience acupuncture or its benefits in the same way. Most wouldn't describe it as painful, but report a "tingling sensation" and feeling relaxed or even energized.
During an acupuncture session, metallic needles are inserted into the body, some just breaking the surface of the skin, others deeper into muscle and fat layers or along the surface of the skin or under the scalp. The needles are FDA-approved and are typically left in for approximately 15 to 30 minutes before being removed and discarded.
Needle insertion is rarely painful. Acupuncture needles are very thin (about the same diameter as a hair or 20 times thinner than the hypodermic needle a doctor would use for an injection). Unlike a hypodermic, they come smoothly to a point rather than a sharp edge.