5 Busted Myths About Acupuncture

While acupuncture has been utilized in eastern medicine for centuries, the practice is still relatively new in the United States. Human beings are, understandably, often slow to adapt to change, and we look at new things with a skeptical eye. That goes doubly for anything involving medicine and our health. Why try something new when it involves our body and our health?  

But acupuncture has finally started to gain popularity here as a safe, effective and lasting treatment for a variety of disorders and the pain and discomfort associated with them. Still, some inaccurate myths surrounding acupuncture are out there. It’s important that everyone knows what’s true and what’s not about acupuncture so they can make their own informed decisions about whether or not acupuncture is right for them. Here are 5 of the most popular but inaccurate thoughts about acupuncture:

1 – Acupuncture is expensive

Firstly, many states are beginning to offer acupuncture as part of their medicare plans, and more and more private insurers are coming around to covering the treatment in various plans. Regardless, even if you pay out of pocket, acupuncture is affordable, especially in contrast to the other visits, treatments and drugs people use to treat their pain otherwise.

2 – Acupuncture hurts

It’s understandable that some people think needles equals pain. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Acupuncture needles are very thin, resulting in a calming sensation. Many patients are so relaxed they fall asleep during treatment.

3 – Acupuncture is nothing but a placebo

Acupuncture has been scientifically proven to alleviate pain, through redistributing and restoring the energy in the body, targeted to the specific parts of the body based on the patient’s needs. It is simply not a faux pain treatment.  

4 – Acupuncture is addicting

Acupuncture is not addicting, and ironically, acupuncture is also an effective treatment for addition itself. Although some patients depending on their treatment may need a few sessions before they see results, that doesn’t mean that there are any addictive properties inherent to acupuncture.  

5 – Acupuncture is a miracle treatment

We extoll the virtues and plentiful benefits of acupuncture, its ability to treat pain and other ailments holistically and lastingly. But it is not a magic cure-all. It’s important to remember that while we encourage everyone to seek out acupuncture for their pain management needs, acupuncture is just one important piece of the puzzle that makes up a healthy lifestyle.

New Study Shows Acupuncture Can Help Heal Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is one of the most common conditions ailing adults in the United States. A staggering 54 million among us suffer from osteoporosis, which literally translates to “porous bone”. Osteoporosis occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. This causes the bones to become weak, resulting in chronic pain, or worse. Low bone mass means that breaks can happen very easily, from falls or in serious cases even from something as low-impact as sneezing.

Osteoporosis is a serious condition, with many of the fractures resulting from it occurring in the hip, spine or wrist. In elderly patients, these breaks can result in serious injury or death. 

The unfortunate thing is that osteoporosis cannot be reversed. It can only be treated. Thankfully, clinical trials have been recently done that show acupuncture as an effective treatment for osteoporosis.

The great thing is that acupuncture works two-fold: it is effective at treating the pain associated with osteoporosis, as well as crucially improving bone mineral density. This still does not represent an ability to reverse the effects of osteoporosis, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

Researchers at First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu in China conducted a study of 182 participants, all who were suffering from the disease. The study compared acupuncture’s effectiveness at treating osteoporosis with calcium supplementation. Acupuncture treatment was administered supplementing the liver and kidneys and strengthening the spleen. While both methods proved to be effective, the acupuncture group outperformed the calcium supplementation. 77 cases in the acupuncture group registered as very effective, with 5 cases effective and 9 ineffective.

The study measured both pain levels as well as mean bone mineral density—those who received acupuncture reported a decrease in pain level, and their bone density was shown to have increased.

Osteoporosis is one of the most difficult conditions to deal with, one that greatly affects the patient’s quality of life. If you or one you know is suffering from the condition, be sure to tell them that acupuncture can help them on the road to recovery.

Can Acupuncture Prevent Lower Back Surgery?

Every patient seeking acupuncture encounters the treatment for different reasons.

Whether it's to improve your overall sense of well being or to treat a highly specific problem, its one of the least invasive and most natural ways to help combat physical, mental and emotional ailments.

One of the most common reasons acupuncture is sought after is back pain, and it's no surprise —  7 out of 10 Americans complaining of suffering from the condition at some point in their lives. But aside from helping to alleviate the pain, can it help to prevent the need for surgery down the line?  It's possible.

According to Medical News Bulletin, a Korean study went on to show that when compared with patients who sought acupuncture treatment, those who did not had a higher likelihood of needing surgery. 

The results suggested two possible reasons: acupuncture is effective at managing low back pain thereby decreasing the need for any lumbar surgery, and that the combination of both traditional and conventional medicine in Korea decreases the need for surgery.  It is also noted that study participants in the group that received acupuncture were,  "far more likely to receive other types of therapy too than those patients in the group that did not receive acupuncture: they received only conventional medicine treatments."

While additional studies are needed to confirm if acupuncture has the same effect when patients with low back pain of similar severity are compared (the researchers didn't know the level of severity for each patient) the results are quite favorable.

Once again, the potential and power of acupuncture is evident, and the benefits of seeking holistic and natural treatments prior to undergoing any severe or invasive procedures are so important to know.