How does it work?

Acupuncture is a healing modality and has been around for over 2000 years. It is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. During a typical treatment the practitioner inserts thin needles into specific points throughout the body. Each of these points is associated with a specific vital organ such as your heart and liver. Insertion into these points are claimed to help balance out the flow of energy (http://www.medicinenet.com/acupuncture/article.htm) by activating the body’s meridian points and ease pain in those areas. However, scientifically speaking it is suggested that inserting these needles stimulates the production of adenosine which is an amino acid that speeds up healing and reduces pain. It also increases the pain threshold and triggers a number of biological responses that decrease the perception of pain and accelerate healing. Despite acupuncture using needles, it is usually pain free and comes with minimal side effects when compared to most drugs.

Acupuncture is commonly used as part of Chinese medicine as a treatment for muscle aches, neck pain, knee pain, arthritic pain, headaches and back pain. However it can also be used as an adjacent treatment for sport injuries, stroke rehab, pregnancy, infertility and carpal tunnel. A lot of people just use it as a means to improve their health and wellbeing.