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By Stephen Sedita, AP –
While acupuncture can be used to treat virtually any health condition, by far the most commonly thought of medical issue for acupuncture is pain. And with good reason. Acupuncture is safe, natural, and has virtually no side effects. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated acupuncture to provide effective and lasting pain relief for lower back pain, knee pain, acute sprains, herniated disks, and even nerve damage. Acupuncture has also been shown to moderate fibromyalgia symptoms in many patients. The World Health Organization officially recognizes acupuncture as an effective medical modality for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. And many insurance companies will now cover acupuncture when used to treat pain conditions.
There is a major difference between the methodology of pain relief of Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Most Western pain management is about masking or hiding the pain, and very little is done to actually treat the cause of the pain. This is especially true in chronic pain conditions. A combination of steroid shots and painkillers is often the prescription for many patients with chronic pain. Steroid shots can lead to unwanted weight gain and often become ineffective after several administrations. Pain pills can damage the internal organs, can lead to addiction, and do absolutely nothing to address the cause of the pain in the first place. In our view using painkillers to treat chronic pain is like treating a broken water pipe by putting a bucket under it to collect the water, rather than fixing the actual leak itself.
TCM is different because we not only address the pain itself but we seek to heal the root cause of the pain. The goal for most types of chronic pain is not pain management but pain relief. That is to say we are looking to heal the body so the pain is gone and there is no residual need for pain management. Unfortunately there are certain conditions where acupuncture cannot entirely get rid of the pain. However even in those cases acupuncture can help to reduce the intensity and frequency of the pain and is a safe and natural alternative to drug therapy.
The exact mechanism, in Western terms, by which acupuncture relieves pain is still unknown though some research has shown acupuncture can block the nerve transmission of pain in affected areas. From TMC theory pain is caused by blockage of the free flow of the bodies functional energy pathways, known as channels or meridians. The blockage can be caused by many different things including trauma (both physical and emotional), stress, disease, and poor diet and lifestyle choices. Acupuncture is so effective because it can quickly remove blockages and it promotes the body heal itself so that the blockage does not return in the future.
Acupuncture is not a miracle cure for pain or any other condition. Except for some cases of acute pain a single acupuncture session is not enough to restore the body’s natural flow of energy and thus remove the cause of the pain. Many acute pain cases can be resolved within 5 acupuncture sessions. For chronic pain there are several factors that determine how often one needs an acupuncture treatment. These include age, physical condition, diet and lifestyle, and other medical conditions that may be present. Generally speaking chronic pain conditions will require acupuncture treatments 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks. As each patient is different the timeline of progression for pain relief is also different.
Yanhong Meng, AP, DOM
Yanhong “Gina” Meng is a licensed Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Meng graduated from Shan Dong Traditional Chinese Medicine University in 1996, where she studied acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicine Techniques. From 1996 to 1999 Dr. Meng practiced at the Shan Dong Lai Wu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where she worked under the direction of the noted Dr. Gu Dao Xia, inventor and pioneer in Acupuncture Point Nutritional Injection Therapy. From 1999 to 2001 Dr. Meng attended Shen Yang Western University, where she studied the theory and practical application of Traditional Chinese Medicine in conjunction with modern Western medicine. In 2002 Dr. Meng completed a rigorous clinical practice rotation at the prestigious Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine University. In 2002 through 2004 Dr. Meng operated a Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in Dublin, Ireland. In 2007 Dr. Meng graduated with honors from the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine, an accredited and nationally recognized master degree level program in oriental medicine. She has owned and operated Mengs Acupuncture Medical Center since 2007.
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