Pain Management & Acupuncture
Acupuncture and Pain Management
Many believe that acupuncture alleviates pain by causing our bodies to release pain reducing chemical called endorphins. Others believe that acupuncture relieves pain by affecting the body's nervous system. Chinese medicine, however, believes that pain is caused by the stagnation of energy or fluids. When flow is restrained or interrupted, pain occurs, alerting us to the problem. Acupuncturists believe that acupuncture promotes flow to reduce pain. According to acupuncture theory, three causes of pain are:
1. Obstruction (blocked flow - due to injury, swelling, oversupply or engorgement of qi or blood)
2. Constraint (restrained flow - due to emotional, psychic, or mental constraint)
3. Deficiency (weak flow - due to deficiency of qi or blood)
