Acupuncture appears to be most effective for treatment of various kinds of pain. Research has demonstrated that acupuncture has positive effects on inflammation, which is most likely one of the mechanisms that reduce pain. A 2020 review states that “the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on nerve injury focused on the anti-oxidation pathway, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory processes,” “the effects of acupuncture changing the motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract,” analgesia, and “the regulation of neuro-endocrine-immune networks may be a common switch of acupuncture on different nerve system diseases” (Yang et al., 2020). This means that acupuncture can effectively treat arthritis, migraines, tension headaches, frozen shoulder, constipation, diarrhea, and even drug addiction. Among modern scientific advances, electro-acupuncture has been demonstrating a lot of success. It allows better monitoring of the stimulation intensity, which is very useful in research and in clinic, as well as creating additional positive healing effects (Park & Namgung, 2018).
Can Acupuncture Be Even More Effective?
Research has found that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for a variety of ailments, but many experiments have also demonstrated that acupuncture can be even more effective as part of integrative medicine. The National Institutes of Health posted on their website, “A 2008 systematic review of studies on acupuncture for low-back pain found strong evidence that combining acupuncture with usual care helps more than usual care alone” (Yuan et al., 2008). The trend of combining various therapies has proved to be effective in treatment of different diseases, especially cancer, but also anxiety, depression, infertility, COVID 19, and many others. In fact, researchers often find new variations and combinations in old and new therapies lately, and the acupuncturists at the Advanced Holistic Center keep up with the latest discoveries.
References
- Park, J. Y., & Namgung, U. (2018). Electroacupuncture therapy in inflammation regulation: current perspectives. Journal of Inflammation Research, 11, 227.
- Yang, F. M., Yao, L., Wang, S. J., Guo, Y., Xu, Z. F., Zhang, C. H., … & Liu, Y. Y. (2020). Current tracking on effectiveness and mechanisms of acupuncture therapy: a literature review of high-quality studies. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 26(4), 310-320.
3. Yuan, J., Purepong, N., Kerr, D. P., Park, J., Bradbury, I., & McDonough, S. (2008). Effectiveness of acupuncture for low back pain: a systematic review. Spine, 33(23), E887-E900.
