There is a great amount of Western Medical research into the efficacy of the mechanisms of Acupuncture treatment. Today more than ever, the scientific evidence is overwhelming that acupuncture has vast physiological effects in the body. Here are the main ones….
Acupuncture promotes blood flow.
This is significant because everything the body needs to heal is in the blood, including oxygen, nutrients we absorb from food, immune substances, hormones, analgesics (painkillers) and anti-inflammatories. Restoring proper blood flow is vital to promoting and maintaining health. For example if blood flow is diminished by as little as 3% in the breast area cancer may develop. Blood flow decreases as we age and can be impacted by trauma, injuries and certain diseases. Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood flow and vasodilation in several regions of the body.
Acupuncture stimulates the body’s built-in healing mechanisms.
Acupuncture stimulates the body’s ability to spontaneously heal injuries to the tissue through nervous, immune and endocrine system activation. By needling the acupoints, the body also heals any surrounding tissue damage left over from old injuries.
Acupuncture releases natural painkillers.
Inserting a thin needle into certain points on the “Heart”, “Pericardium” or “Liver” meridian, sends a signal through the nervous system to the brain, where chemicals such as endorphins, norepinephrine and enkephalin are released. According to Chris Kresser (L.Ac) “Medicine for the 21st Century”, some of these substances are 10-200 times more potent than morphine!
Acupuncture reduces both the intensity and perception of chronic pain.
It does this through a process called “descending control normalization”, which involves the serotonergic nervous system.
Acupuncture relaxes shortened muscles and muscle fibres.
This in turn releases pressure on joint structures and nerves, and promotes blood flow.
Acupuncture reduces stress.
This is perhaps the most important systemic effect of acupuncture. Recent research suggests that acupuncture stimulates the release of oxytocin, a hormone and signaling substance that regulates the parasympathetic nervous system. You’ve probably heard of the “fight-or-flight” response that is governed by the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system has been called the “rest-and-digest” or “calm-and-connect” system, and in many ways is the opposite of the sympathetic system. Recent research has implicated impaired parasympathetic function in a wide range of autoimmune diseases, including arthritis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Founder/ Musculoskeletal Acupuncurist