Medical Acupuncture and the Mechanisms of Pain
The most common condition people seek an acupuncturist for is pain. Acupuncture excels at treating all kinds of pain, in all phases of the pain process. Not only is acupuncture great for decreasing the feeling of pain, and the symptoms (redness, swelling, etc.), but it's also great for speeding up the actual process of tissue healing.
Pain can be both what you feel (subjective) and a physical change in the body (objective). If you twist your ankle, you feel pain and see marked redness and swelling. That is not only a sign that something is wrong, but that your body is actively attempting to heal itself. These signs are good. Imagine not having a "check engine" light on your vehicle. It would be awfully hard to know in advance when something is wrong with your car before it stops working entirely. Pain serves that purpose. Taking pain meds such as NSAIDs (ibuprofen) typically reduce the amount of inflammation continuing to be produced. So, if you twist your ankle and you get immediate swelling, pain medication will usually simply prevent more swelling from happening, but does not decrease the swelling that's already occurred. A medication such as Tylenol, which is an "analgesic," helps with the feeling of pain by blocking the pain signal in your brain, and does not actually reduce swelling. However, Tylenol does reduce fever, which inhibits one very specific type of inflammatory cell, but that is a different mechanism entirely.
Over-the-counter pain medication is a quick and easy way to help with pain. Those medications aren't necessarily helping your body fix anything, but are making you feel better in the short term. Acupuncture is a wonderful way to help with both acute and chronic pain. The three ways pain manifests (listed prior) are 1—the sensation of pain; 2—the physical signs of a painful condition such as redness and swelling; and 3—the ability to recover from a painful condition so an acute issue doesn't turn chronic. Medical acupuncture, in particular, has honed in on an easy way to treat pain of all sorts based on these simple biological rules.
The majority of designated acupuncture points are located near small nerve fibers (Adelta and C nociceptive afferent), conglomerates of mast cells which carry around anti-inflammatory substances, and connective tissue planes which serve as messengers to surrounding tissues. Inserting an acupuncture needle mobilizes your body's own defense mechanisms. Both the nerve fibers and mast cells, which are a type of white blood cell, when stimulated by a sharp object (like an acupuncture needle), a laser, a firm press into the skin, a vibration, etc., will send a signal to your brain that the area needs some attention. The connective tissue planes act like a pond, and when a stone is thrown into that pond, such as when the nerve fibers and mast cells are stimulated, the connective tissue vibrates off an alarm to surrounding tissues to be aware. Due to this being a comprehensive process, there are many different types of cells that are mobilized to respond to the act of acupuncture.
During an acupuncture treatment, Beta-endorphins are widely stimulated, which are specific to decreasing the sensation of pain. Also, during a treatment, an amino acid called calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP, is stimulated, which has the ability to both prevent
inflammation and promote anti-inflammation. CGRP works in close contact with substance P, which is responsible for any swelling or edema and contains the injury to one area bringing white and red blood cells to the site. Cytokines and collagen are also released during acupuncture, which are a composite of white blood cells, and they provide an immune response and spark cellular growth. In other words, Beta-endorphins help with the sensation of pain, which is very similar to the mechanism of action of Tylenol, while CGRP and substance P help prevent any further inflammation, swelling, redness and other physical signs of pain, very similar to the actions of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs.
Cytokines and collagen play a vital role in our third pain process, which is the actual healing of tissues to prevent acute pain from going chronic. This is what makes acupuncture truly unique and holistic in that it can help speed up your body's ability to heal itself. In fact, acupuncture is used commonly for wrinkles and other cosmetic issues due to this third and last factor of releasing cytokines and collagen to reduce wrinkles and damaged skin.
In the realm of acupuncture is TCM or "traditional Chinese medicine." TCM encompasses even more holism. TCM has many modalities for healing all sorts of issues. Acupuncture is one of those modalities. Cupping, electrical stimulation, massage, medicated oils, dietary and herbal therapy are all other modalities of TCM that can help your body help itself. We use all these therapies when we find the case fitting. Acupuncturists are trained to know when and how to treat pain. We see patients often before and after surgery and are very educated on where, what and how to perform acupuncture in all situations including acute injuries, chronic pain, pain from sources such as labor, injury, neuropathic, idiopathic and pre- and post-surgery. The most difficult part is not getting patients better, but figuring out how each individual responds differently to each modality.
Pain can be both what you feel (subjective) and a physical change in the body (objective). If you twist your ankle, you feel pain and see marked redness and swelling. That is not only a sign that something is wrong, but that your body is actively attempting to heal itself. These signs are good. Imagine not having a "check engine" light on your vehicle. It would be awfully hard to know in advance when something is wrong with your car before it stops working entirely. Pain serves that purpose. Taking pain meds such as NSAIDs (ibuprofen) typically reduce the amount of inflammation continuing to be produced. So, if you twist your ankle and you get immediate swelling, pain medication will usually simply prevent more swelling from happening, but does not decrease the swelling that's already occurred. A medication such as Tylenol, which is an "analgesic," helps with the feeling of pain by blocking the pain signal in your brain, and does not actually reduce swelling. However, Tylenol does reduce fever, which inhibits one very specific type of inflammatory cell, but that is a different mechanism entirely.
Over-the-counter pain medication is a quick and easy way to help with pain. Those medications aren't necessarily helping your body fix anything, but are making you feel better in the short term. Acupuncture is a wonderful way to help with both acute and chronic pain. The three ways pain manifests (listed prior) are 1—the sensation of pain; 2—the physical signs of a painful condition such as redness and swelling; and 3—the ability to recover from a painful condition so an acute issue doesn't turn chronic. Medical acupuncture, in particular, has honed in on an easy way to treat pain of all sorts based on these simple biological rules.
The majority of designated acupuncture points are located near small nerve fibers (Adelta and C nociceptive afferent), conglomerates of mast cells which carry around anti-inflammatory substances, and connective tissue planes which serve as messengers to surrounding tissues. Inserting an acupuncture needle mobilizes your body's own defense mechanisms. Both the nerve fibers and mast cells, which are a type of white blood cell, when stimulated by a sharp object (like an acupuncture needle), a laser, a firm press into the skin, a vibration, etc., will send a signal to your brain that the area needs some attention. The connective tissue planes act like a pond, and when a stone is thrown into that pond, such as when the nerve fibers and mast cells are stimulated, the connective tissue vibrates off an alarm to surrounding tissues to be aware. Due to this being a comprehensive process, there are many different types of cells that are mobilized to respond to the act of acupuncture.
During an acupuncture treatment, Beta-endorphins are widely stimulated, which are specific to decreasing the sensation of pain. Also, during a treatment, an amino acid called calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP, is stimulated, which has the ability to both prevent
inflammation and promote anti-inflammation. CGRP works in close contact with substance P, which is responsible for any swelling or edema and contains the injury to one area bringing white and red blood cells to the site. Cytokines and collagen are also released during acupuncture, which are a composite of white blood cells, and they provide an immune response and spark cellular growth. In other words, Beta-endorphins help with the sensation of pain, which is very similar to the mechanism of action of Tylenol, while CGRP and substance P help prevent any further inflammation, swelling, redness and other physical signs of pain, very similar to the actions of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs.
Cytokines and collagen play a vital role in our third pain process, which is the actual healing of tissues to prevent acute pain from going chronic. This is what makes acupuncture truly unique and holistic in that it can help speed up your body's ability to heal itself. In fact, acupuncture is used commonly for wrinkles and other cosmetic issues due to this third and last factor of releasing cytokines and collagen to reduce wrinkles and damaged skin.
In the realm of acupuncture is TCM or "traditional Chinese medicine." TCM encompasses even more holism. TCM has many modalities for healing all sorts of issues. Acupuncture is one of those modalities. Cupping, electrical stimulation, massage, medicated oils, dietary and herbal therapy are all other modalities of TCM that can help your body help itself. We use all these therapies when we find the case fitting. Acupuncturists are trained to know when and how to treat pain. We see patients often before and after surgery and are very educated on where, what and how to perform acupuncture in all situations including acute injuries, chronic pain, pain from sources such as labor, injury, neuropathic, idiopathic and pre- and post-surgery. The most difficult part is not getting patients better, but figuring out how each individual responds differently to each modality.
Stay Informed
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
Comments